Zuko's Littlest Sister
by rb2013
Summary: Sasha is the third child of Ozai and Ursa. She has everything going for her until a mystery illness cripples her from having a normal life. Follow Sasha on her adventure as she learns to cope with who she is.
1. Prologue

** Hello! I'm here with another Avatar: The Last Airbender fanfic. What can I say? It's an awesome show. Anyway, I decided to do a somewhat more serious, longer fic. Enjoy!**

Prologue

"Well, here they are." The proud mother sat up, holding the two newest additions to the royal family.

"Azula." Ozai said bluntly. He and his wife had already agreed that the elder child (senior by five minutes) would be named after the current Firelord. Then, there was the second child. Her eyes were squeezed shut, yet her dark hair was already down to her shoulders. "Sasha." It was the first thing that had popped into the Prince's head, and he decided to follow his instincts for once. The name seemed to somehow fit the baby princess.

Years passed. Zuko, the eldest son, was six. The girls were both four and a half.

Azula whispered something into her twin's ear. Giggling softly., the child slowly wrapped her fingers around her brother's ponytail, and tugged.

"Ow! Sasha!"

Sasha ran off, giggling and shrieking until Zuko grabbed her, dragging her to the ground, pulling the long locks of her black hair. "Never, again!" he laughed.

Princess Ursa watched from a respectable distance. Royal life was comfortable despite her husband's aloof nature. She had three beautiful, happy children. What could go wrong?

These short years were the best years of Sasha's life. No threats. No worries. No drama. She was surrounded by people she could trust. Her mom loved her. Uncle Iroh sent her presents from far lands, and she didn't have to worry about her father. The kids hadn't began to use their bending abilities, and Azula hadn't been manipulated by Ozai yet. Life was good. Life was normal.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end at some point, and Sasha's happy, carefree innocence was one of them. It was normal day like any other. Sasha was chasing Zuko and Azula around in the royal garden when she ran out of breath, and set herself down by the turtleduck pond.

"Come on, slow poke. You won't catch me if you're sitting down in one place!" Zuko said.

"I'm too tired, and my neck feels funny." Sasha explained. "Come. Play with the baby turtleducks."

"No, I want to keep running. See you at lunch." With that, Zuko ran off, looking for Azula.

Ursa looked up from the scroll she was reading and thought. It wasn't like Sasha to run out of energy so quickly. Had she not gotten eight hours of solid sleep? Neck feels funny? Did Sasha mean throat? Ursa got up, and sat down by her youngest near the small pond. "Sweetie, is something bothering you?"

Sasha shook her head. "I'm okay, Mommy."

Ursa moved closer towards her child, and soon felt a little hand grab her wrist when she reached out to touch Sasha's forehead. The child's face had looked tired and flushed that morning, and Ursa had been trying to choke down her growing suspicions all morning. Sasha was sick, and not willing to admit it.

Sighing, Ursa scooped the small child up in her arms, and carried her inside to her room. "You can't hide things from Mommy forever you know."

"But I hate being sick!" Sasha whined, struggling pathetically within her mother's firm grasp.

"Hiding doesn't help the sickness go away. It only makes it worse." Ursa said, laying Sasha down in bed, tucking the girl in under a layer of bright red comforters. "I'm going to find the nurse. She'll tend to you, and you'll be better in no time."

The nurse soon arrived, and examined Sasha. It seemed like a simple cold at first. A pack of ice was laid upon Sasha's forehead, and she was fed a dosage of medicine to soothe the cold in her chest. Sasha had the best possible care any child in the country could receive for illness; However, the illness didn't improve. It gradually got worse. Sasha's fever got higher, and muscles got weaker. Her head throbbed, and her limbs ached. You could see her wasting away, getting thinner and becoming more and more frail. Within three weeks she had gone from a happy-go-lucky diva to an interesting medical mystery, irritable, frustrated. The doctors and nurse were doing all they could to help Sasha heal, yet the disease only got worse.

"I'm not hungry." Sasha said, turning over in bed.

"But you love opening fortune cookies!" Zuko said. He was seated in a chair at Sasha's bedside, exerting a futile effort to cheer his little sister up.

"That was before I got sick and when doctors started poking me with needles to find out what's wrong with me." Sasha said, still not facing her elder brother.

"Hey, I'm two years older than you. You should show some respect! At least, I'm giving you something other than water and mashed potatoes."

Sasha turned. Zuko had a point there. The doctors insisted that Sasha stayed away from sweets of any form while the illness was running it's course. She couldn't even eat a peppermint! "What does your fortune say?"

Zuko cracked his cookie open, and read the little white strip of paper found within the hard shell of the cookie. "Whatever you do, do not attend any war meetings."

"Huh?"

Zuko ripped his paper in half. "It's not like the fortunes are supposed to make sense."

"Read mine." Sasha said.

Zuko broke the second cookie open. "You are destined to travel far and wide. Brace yourself."

Sasha smiled. "That sounds nice. I should like to travel...or at least get out of this room. Can I eat your cookie?"

"Sure." Zuko was willing to do anything to keep his sister happy in this irritable state.

Azula walked in just then. She saw the tray of cookies, and wasted no time in taking one.

"Read it." She instructed, handing the slip of paper to Zuko. Sasha and Azula were still studying the alphabet, unable to read unlike Zuko who had just started.

"You will completely lose your s-sanity not saying you were sane before." Zuko read.

Sasha crossed her arms. "The weird things fortune cookies say these days!"

"Tell me about it!"

Another long week passed when Sasha's ongoing fever finally broke. The disease got better as gradually as it had gotten worse. The symptoms vanished one by one until Sasha was once again the sweet, healthy child the family had always known, yet not all her troubles were over. The mystery sickness had badly stunted Sasha's growth, leaving the girl trapped in the body of a four year old. Both Ursa and Ozai were disappointed. They had had many hopes and expectations for their daughter. Ursa, as a mother, never stopped hoping that Sasha would grow. Sasha finally saw Ozai's true colors when she found her bedroom door locked one morning.

"Open the door!" she said, thinking it was a blind mistake of the guards. The doors were always locked at night as a security precaution. Maybe the guards forgot to open them. She banged her fists against the door when no one responded.

She was answered by her father's voice. "Sasha, I have made a decision for you, concerning your health. Your growth bothers me Sasha, so I've decided to keep you here. You might as well get used to those four corners because that's where you'll be most of the time. I can't stand the thought of having a sickly invalid for a daughter. People asking and staring. It will all reflect badly on me. You're a disgrace, Sasha. A failure. Stay here, and keep quiet. I don't want anyone to know your even alive..."

Sasha, now five, couldn't believe her ears. True, she had never been fond of her father, but she hadn't expected him to shut her in a room because of something she couldn't control. Slowly, Sasha slumped down the floor, leaning against the door, trying to hold back tears. She didn't want her new foe to hear or feel her distress. She got up on her king-sized bed and played with her doll, doing her best to shut out what Ozai had told her. At noon, a servant came in with a tray of food. Bacon, fried squid, and peach dumplings. Sasha lightened up a little. At least she would have a comfortable existence away from everyone else instead of a miserable one. She decided to make the most of it, stuck in a room with nothing but her dolls, books, and craft supplies wasn't as bad as it sounded. If ever she wanted anything, she would tell a servant and a parcel would be brought in within an hour. However, she longed to go out and have someone to talk to face to face rather than face to door and she loved to go out. Occasionally, Zuko was allowed to come in to see her, but that only happened a few times during Sasha's life in the palace before her brother got banished.

"I have to leave by tomorrow. My stuff has been packed. I will return as soon as I capture the avatar. I just came here to say goodbye." Zuko, now thirteen, had said.

Sasha looked up from her drawing. "Would Daddy mind if I went with you? I've been shut up this room for a long time."

"Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt for you to tag along." Zuko replied.

The next morning Sasha was boarding a small warship, finally free from her family of nutcases, meaning her twin sister and her egoistic father. First, Mommy had disappeared. Then, Daddy usurped the throne from Uncle. After that, Azula became a firebending prodigy, leaving Zuko many levels below. _At least Zuko reached five feet, _Sasha thought. She was starting to look like a mouse compared to her siblings.

"Are you ready?" Zuko asked, picking his little sister up.

"If you mean Happy to get away from Daddy and Azula for a while, then, yeah!" She replied.

End of Prologue

**Hey, guys! I will be writing more Sasha chapters later on if you guys liked this one. Let me know if you see any Mary Sue characteristics that I could avoid. The purpose of this story is to entertain, and not annoy. Peace!**


	2. Book 1 Episode 1: part one

**Hola! I'm here with another chapter! Read it and enjoy it! Peace!**

Episode one, Book 1

Sasha shivered as a gust of cold wind blew through her hair. She stood up beside her sitting uncle, observing the game he was playing with wooden boards. The warship was gliding through a narrow path, bordered only by the tall, surrounding glaciers of ice and snow. Sasha tried to follow her uncle's game, yet she never could catch on to how it worked no matter how hard she had tried to figure it out. She preferred pai-sho.

Three years had passed since the day Sasha had asked to join her brother in his exile. Sasha, now fourteen, was still no larger than a typical toddler. Few things had changed about her physical appearance, save her hair had grown longer and that she had begun wearing make up. Her straight, even hair had grown down to her ankles, and had been arranged into a thin, long braid. It was jet black like her father's. She had bold ember eyes, still wide and looking innocent like that of a young girl, and a clear face. She was wearing a mink-bear fur hat, and a mink-bear jacket to shield herself from the increasing cold. She didn't wear very much makeup. Just some pink lipstick to add color to her pale lips, some mascara to bring out her eyelashes, and some eyeliner. Sasha liked make up. It gave her face a more older, finished looked. (After all she was a teenager.)

Sasha observed her brother with some concern. When he had said "I'm going to capture the Avatar to regain my honor!", she hadn't thought he was actually serious and that Daddy had actually set Zuko with such an impossible task. When she had heard this, she realized that Ozai's order to keep her confined to her room because of her size was a pure act of mercy from the Firelord. Why hadn't he killed her, or sent her away? Sasha didn't know why Zuko had been banished, or what had made the Firelord tick, but she knew that in order to return home, Zuko would have to capture the avatar alive and bring him to Firelord Ozai. Zuko, desperate to be accepted by his father, began searching on the first day of his exile. The sudden misfortune, piled up with many others, had caused Zuko to become a hot-tempered man, expressing his anger through violence. He was obsessed with capturing the avatar. He had already searched the globe, going to the most rural areas to find his prize. Sasha had calmly tagged along, witnessing the events from a distance, staying out of the way. She had learned her place long ago.

Suddenly, a beam of white light shoot through the air. It seemed to be coming from far away.

"Finally..." Zuko said. "Uncle, Sasha, do you know what this means?"

"I won't get to finish my game." Uncle said, still focused on the wooden cards.

"You're getting me a capybara?" Sasha guessed.

"That light came from an incredibly powerful source. It has to be him!" Zuko reasoned, remaining oblivious to Sasha's wish. Would this girl ever get a capybara to call her own? Or at least a pony?

"It was probably just the celestial lights. We've been down this path before, Prince Zuko. I don't want you to get excited over nothing." Uncle said.

"Yeah, Zuko, it's probably just an aurora or something like that. You know that the avatar died a hundred years ago when Great Grandaddy Sozin took out the airbenders. You won't find him anywhere! This whole search is madness, and I hate it. I'm sick of you and your stupid avatar!"

Zuko stooped down to his sister's level, eyes alight with passion and extreme irritation. "I will do what I think is right to regain my honor, so shut up and cooperate. You should be grateful to me for letting you come. That so-called home was a prison to you, and I had you liberated."

Sasha drew back, hurt. How had Zuko changed so much over a five year period of time? What had happened to the little boy who was so eager to keep others happy? "I'm going inside. Call me when we get there." Sasha said.

Sasha retired to her room, and lay down in bed.

"Already, Princess? It's a little too early for a nap. Don't you think?"

Sasha cheered up slightly at the familiar voice. It was Kaleb, a fire nation soldier who had been exiled for an unknown reason, yet Sasha had gotten to know him over the years, traveling the seas. In fact, Sasha knew most of the members on the crew though she knew the soldiers only by their voices because the soldiers never took off their helmets while on-duty.

Sasha spilled out her thoughts. "I don't know, Kaleb. This whole search thing seems rather...pathetic. We've been trying for three years, Kaleb and we've found no leads, let alone the avatar himself. And now Zuko's found a light, and believes that that came from the Avatar. It's ridiculous."

"Well, that light we just saw out there had to come from somewhere, and it seemed to be coming from the ground rather than forming in the sky like an aurora would. I guess it could be worth checking out." Kaleb replied.

Sasha nodded. What Kaleb said made a lot of sense. "Okay, I'm going to keep warm in here for a while until we reach land. Call me when we get there."

Sasha relaxed her head against the soft pillow, afraid and hopeful at the same time. Perhaps finding the avatar would put an end to Zuko's craziness, but it would also put an end to her travels which she enjoyed so much. So had two things out here that she hadn't had back there: acceptance and change. The crew members had questioned Sasha's state at first, but they soon got past that and began to treat her like an equal instead of a poor, frail invalid, to be forever pitied or a four year old baby. They spoke to her like she was an adult, and respected her. Another thing was change. Traveling in a speedy warship was fun, experiening different climates, and seeing different cultures around the world, along with ancient ruin from the air temples. The best thing was making a snowball for the first time. Back at home, near the mouth of a volcano, snow was a joke that most people never even saw snow in their lifetimes, let alone touch it. MOREOVER, she was free! She no longer had to be confined to one place, but she was free to walk around the ship and do as pleased without others restraining her. If Zuko managed to capture the avatar, Sasha would have to return home with him to her prison cell (or bedroom), but Zuko would be happy again. Right?

Back out on deck, Zuko saw the figure clothed in orange and yellow nimbly hop of an old fire navy ship, using airbending to enhance his movements. "So, that's the avatar. Pretty agile in his old age."

**And here we end part one! I will upload part two as soon as I can. ;)**


	3. Part two!

**Okay, I've got part two. Enjoy!**

Episode 2

Book 1

The ship sharply shreaded through the ice to reach the small south pole village where Zuko believed that the avatar had been spotted. Sasha had dozed off a little, but had woken up just in time. She didn't want to miss a chance to see snow again.

Many thoughts raced through Sasha's head as she walked out on deck to catch the action. Thoughts of Dinner, thoughts of snow, thoughts of bacon, and thoughts of the avatar. What if Zuko had finally found the Avatar? This was the first time Sasha had ever heard of an airbender actually being _sighted_. Most of the time the places only held vague hints of the person's whereabouts. Zuko might be on to something...

Kaleb was the first person Sasha recognized as the front of the ship was being lowered down to land, creating a bridge between craft and land. "Right on time, Princess."

"I guess I haven't missed anything at all then?"

"Not at all."

Sasha waited for her brother to get off the ship first with a few soldiers. She followed a few yards behind, with light footsteps, remaining invisible. While she was walking down, a screaming man holding a stick-like thing came charging towards Zuko, bold and loud. Zuko quickly kicked the guy over to the side of the railing, sending him down on the soft snow beneath. There was a collective gasp from the residents.

Sasha giggled to herself when she saw this. Pathetic. If the Avatar was really hiding here, capturing him wouldn't be such a hard thing to do, judging by the resistance. She followed Zuko, accompanied by a few soldiers, onto the snowy land. The ground was layered by thick, hard snow, mostly ice, making it easy to walk without sinking. She watched quietly, taking a stand by Kaleb.

The locals were already conveniently gathered in one area.

"Where are you hiding him?" Zuko asked, eyeing every person carefully. He grabbed an elderly woman from the front row. "He would be about this age, master of all four elements." Zuko let go of the old lady, sending her back into the hands of the granddaughter (Katara). Then, released a fire whip. The locals screamed in terror as the orange flames curved above their heads. These people probably aren't used to seeing firebenders, Sasha thought. She'd seen bigger and better moves. What Zuko had done could be easily topped, but these ignorant peasents didn't know that. After all, firebenders in general were considered to be a threat anywhere, big or small, advanced or no. Those people had all the right in the world to be afraid of Zuko and his basic firebending.

Soon, Sasha heard the familiar "war-cry" from the same person Zuko had beaten a while back. Didn't that guy know when he'd been defeated? Not wanting to see Zuko fight the boy again, Sasha left. She decided to check the tents around the village. Most of the time, there would be kids hiding there—little kids. Sasha was hit by dozens of snowballs the minute she entered a small tent.

"Be careful. She's dangerous." It was a wide-eyed girl curled up in the corner who spoke. She couldn't be older than five years of age.

"I'll handle this!" A six year old boy approached Sasha, arms crossed, and a sheath at his side (it carried a small dagger). "State your business, ma'am."

Sasha looked up at boy towering over here. "My name is Sasha. I'm from that fire nation ship that's currently troubling your village. I'm here to tell you not to worry. We'll be out as soon as we get what we want."

The child's blue eyes narrowed. "That's news. I asked for business!"

"I just need some one to talk to to pass time. You know, small talk. I thought I could find some people to talk to in here, so I came."

"So you're not going to i-i-incinerate us?" The little girl in the corner was very worried.

"I don't have any orders to do that to you, and nobody's paying me for it...So, no."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Sasha. I already told you. That creep out there is my brother, and those men helping are members of our crew."

The kids inside the tent were suddenly interested. "That's your brother? Why is he here?"

"We're looking for the avatar-someone wearing orange and yellow."

"Oh, that was Aang!" the five year old said. "He left a while back though. I'm going to miss him. He was so much fun."

Sasha nodded. "Oh, good to know." Sasha liked talking to kids. For one, she didn't have to strain her neck as much to look up, and two, kids were so trusting and innocent, it was almost funny. They had just let a firebender into their tent."I guess I won't be staying here for long then."

The six year old boy stuck out his hand, trying to be polite. "Name's Bo. This is Serafina, my sister. Since your brother probably won't come back here, I guess we could have talk a little. It must be hard to live with your brother. He's so mean."

"Oh, believe me, he's a nice guy except he has anger issues and hates pretty much everything."

"Sasha! We're going!" Kaleb's familiar voice rang through the air.

"Bye, guys, I have to go!"

"What was that paint she had on her face?" Bo asked Serifina shortly after Sasha was out of sight.

"It's called make-up. Big girls wear it to look pretty. Mommy says I can wear it when I'm sixteen. I can't imagine why she'd be wearing make up. She had to be about my age."

"Maybe she's just spoiled. That's one big warship."

"You don't say."

And they left the conversation at that, and didn't give it much thought.

"Where were you, Sasha? You missed the whole thing!" Kaleb said, as she caught up to him.

"I was just in that little tent back there, talking to some kids. What did I miss? You sound kind of excited like something actually happened this time. Did you find him?"

"Yes, there was a fight going on for a while. First, between Prince Zuko and that Water Tribe kid. Then, between Zuko and the Avatar himself."

"Was it intense?" Sasha asked, regretting her actions.

"No, not really. The kid surrendered after Zuko sent a few flames his way."

"Kid?"

"Funny story. It turns out that the Avatar is just a child, and can only control air instead of all four elements."

"How is that possible?"

"I don't know Princess. Go see for yourself, Princess. It's almost like he's frozen in time."

Sasha and Kaleb were among the last to board the ship. Sasha was amazed when she found out that what Kaleb had told her about the avatar was true. The boy had to be over a century old, yet he didn't look a day above twelve.

"This staff should make an excellent gift for my father." Zuko said, holding the glider. "You probably don't know about fathers, being raised by monks."

"And you probably don't know about fathers, being sent away from home and disgraced by your own." Sasha muttered. No one had heard her.

"Take this to my quarters." Zuko handed the staff over to Uncle who handed it over to none other than Kaleb.

A tile was moved, revealing a staircase that led deep into the ship's hull. Aang was led down the steps, and taken to a special hallway for prisoners.

"I bet you guys have never fought an airbender before." Aang said, walking in between the two men.

"Silence." One soldier ordered, not wanting to deal with a child.

When they reached the door, Aang exhaled strongly, sending one soldier flying and leaving the other jammed up against the metal, and jumped out of the hole. "The Avatar's escaped!"

Aang entered a different part of the ship, looking for his staff. The crew had already been warned of his coming, and had wasted no time in posting guards on all four corners of the ship, ready and waiting.

"You haven't seen my glider around, have you?" He asked when he was approached by armed guards, prepared to fight, swords in hand. Using his feet to airbend, Aang soon left them. "Thanks anyway!"

While still running, he was confronted by another guard whom he easily avoided, and cut his ropes on the person's helmet, freeing his hands.

He started searching the rooms, opening doors one by one. Which one of these rooms were Zuko's quarters? He stopped for a brief period at one room that was a little different. Unlike all the other rooms, made from steel with the fire nation insignia sewn onto a sheet and draped on a the walls as a decoration, this room was bit girly. Drawings were painted on the wall—Flowers, trees, birds—all coming from a small island surrounded by a vast sea filled with whales and tiger-seals. The mattress on the floor was neatly lined with red and gold covers. A doll was slouched against the pillow. Surely this stuff couldn't belong to Zuko. It looked like it belonged to a child. It probably belonged to that little girl he'd seen a while back out on deck, but why would a person like Zuko keep a child on a warship? It seemed incredibly out of place. After zooming past a few more rooms down the corridor to no avail, he saw his staff inside a room, leaned against some furniture. There it was! Perfect! He went into the small room, and heard the heavy door shut with a thud.

"I guess I underestimated you." Zuko had been expecting him the whole time.

Crud, Aang thought. Quickly, he dodged all of Zuko's blows until he finally got a hold of his glider, using it as a tool to slam Zuko against the wall twice with his mattress. Zuko looked up from his spot to see Sasha's laughing face. "I saw the whole thing! You just got pwnd by your own mattress!"

"Where is he?!"

"I saw him go up to where the control area."

Sasha was brushed aside as Zuko rushed off to stop the avatar from escaping. He couldn't afford to lose his prize after they had come so far. Sasha, almost by instinct, bounded out on deck. Chances were the Avatar had already made it outside, and that Zuko was trying to hinder his escape. When she arrived, along with some other crew members, she saw Zuko ceaselessly spewing fireballs at his target.

"What are you doing?" She yelled. Zuko was supposed to capture the avatar, not kill him! Perhaps he was still resentful about being beaten by his mattress. "Stop!" But it was too late, Aang had already fallen overboard.

"Now, look what you did. You just ended the thing you've been after for three years."

Sasha had spoken far to soon however, for at that moment the Avatar emerged from the ocean, eyes and tatoos glowing boldly—the Avatar state. He was bending the sea around him, pushing himself upward in a large column of whirring water. Sasha's eyes bulged at this display of bending. What had Zuko done? Aang planted himself on the ship, and used the seawater to knock Zuko and the crew overboard. Sasha, luckily, managed to get dashed against the ship's railing instead. She sputtered as she coughed out the cold sea water that had made its way into her mouth. The large sky bison deposited itself onto the vessel. Aang's friends had come to help. Some soldiers who not been thrown overboard, suffering the same fate as Sasha, recovered, getting up on their feet, able to attack. They paused abruptly as the waterbender girl made a desperate move, unintentionally freezing her brother's feet.

"Katara!"Sokka whined, before hammering at his feet with a silver boomerang.

Katara turned around, and made the same move, successfully freezing the soldiers head to toe. Sasha went over to see where Zuko was. He had been hanging on a chain that ran across the side of the hull. Uncle had already assisted him.

"They're getting away."

"Shoot them down!" Zuko commanded.

Zuko and Uncle, accompanied by Sasha, sent a massive fire ball at the bison carrying the three companions, Aang countered with a blast of wind, redirecting the fiery substance into a nearby cliff. The resulting avalanche buried a good portion of the ship in ice and thick snow.

" Get this ship out and go After them!" Zuko shouted. He paused when he noticed that half the ship was stuck in a block of ice, and that most of his crew members were stuck in ice. The ones who weren't frozen were busy unfreezing those who were. "As soon as you're done with that..."

He was leaving to go inside and mark out a map showing where the avatar had been sighted and what his next moves might be when he noticed another minor detail. "Uncle, where's Sasha?"

"In here..." a weak voice cried out from under the lump of snow, muffled slightly. Startled, the crew members who were busy thawing the other soldiers made haste to dig Sasha out. "Did you just see what i just saw?"

"Good news for the Firelord: the Fire Nation's greatest threat is a child." Uncle stated.

"That child just did this. I won't underestimate him ever again." Zuko said, referring to the damage.

Sasha got up to her feet as calmly as she could. Shivering, she trudged to her room, and resolved to change into warm pjs, made from gold silk, hemmed with shades of hot pink. She sat down at her small, steal desk, got out an fat, plain-papered notebook. This was were she recorded the day's events. She dipped her quil into an ink pot, and began writing.

End of chapter

**Hi! Sorry if I bored you guys a little. The next chapter will have a little more fizz. ;) Peace!**


	4. Episoode 3 of book 1

**Fly, nyan cat, fly! Another chapter. **

Book 1; Episode 3

The once powerful vessel landed at a dock controlled by the Fire Fire Nation, yet fixed on Earth Kingdom lands. Sasha got off the ship with her brother and Uncle. It had taken five hours to free the ship from it's icy hold, and two more to get it sailing again. Sasha remembered back at the Southern Water Tribe how much people had feared seeing Zuko's ship, not to mention Zuko himself . But, here, in a fire nation dock, the ship was puny and Zuko was a hopeless failure to be easily overrun or stepped on.

"Uncle, I want the repairs done as soon as possible. I can't risk losing his trail." Zuko said.

"You mean the Avatar."

"Don't mention his name on these docks! Once word gets out he's alive, every firebender will be out there looking for him, and I don't want anyone to be getting in the way. This includes you too, Sasha." Zuko snapped back.

"Getting in the way of what, Prince Zuko?"

Sasha strained her neck upward to see the most mysterious person she had ever set her eyes on. His outer disposition was calm and dignified, yet something was amiss. She couldn't really put her finger down on it, but she had a feeling that there was more to this man than just being another humble servant to the Firelord.

"Captain Zhao." Zuko said. There were clear signs of immediate dislike.

"It's Commander Zhao." The man informed. "The Firelord's brother and son are welcome anytime. What brings you to my docks?"

"Our ship has a couple of dents." Sasha stated, pointing behind her, showing the skeletal remains of what had once been a warship.

"That's quite a bit of damage." Zhao observed.

"Oh, you wouldn't believe what happened..." Zuko began, but never finished. "Uncle, tell Comander Zhao what happened."

"It was incredible." Uncle started, clearly lying. "Did we crash or something?"

Sasha, deeply annoyed by this pointless discourse, laced her voice with sarcasm. "Yeah, we ran into a bunch of furry unicorns that used their magical powers to destroy our for the love of friendship." She placed a sack of money in the elder's hand. "Here's the money. Have our ship repaired by noon."

"Is that so, child? Really, you must engage me with all the thrilling details. Join us for a drink?" He looked Zuko straight in the eye, though he sounded like he was speaking to Sasha.

"Sorry, but we have to go."

"Zuko," Uncle scolded, "Show Commander Zhao some respect. We would be honored to join you. Do you have any Jengseng tea?"

"Seriously." Sasha wanted to say. They had just encountered the most unsavory character in the fictional world, and all Uncle could think about was tea? She followed her family members into a tent before she felt a soldier put a hand on her mouth, pull her away. She didn't even have a chance to scream. Kicking and making any muffled noise she could, Sasha was taken to a smaller tent with very little furniture, a desk and two chairs. One inside the desk, and another outside. It was like being sent to the principal's office without knowing the reason why.

Another person clothed in the standard fire nation army uniform was seated at the desk while Sasha was briskly set on the chair.

"Name?" He asked.

"Fred Figglehorn." was the agitated response.

"Name?" he repeated.

"Sasha."

"Where were you between dawn to dusk yesterday?"

"On the ship."

"What were you doing on that ship?"

"Breathing, blinking and walking at the same time."

"Why is that?"

"I needed to stay alive."

"Sweetheart, I am in no mood for games." The man said, clearly bothered by Sasha's cocky responses so far, yielding no useful information.

"And I am in no mood for an interrogation. Thank you very much." Sasha was got up only to be restrained to her seat by two guards.

"Stay. We're not quite finished here. I promise you it will soon be over if you cooperate. So you might as well abandon your secrecy."

"Abandon my secrecy, sir? You want to know everything?"

"That's right."

"Why didn't you say so before!? On the summer of 86 ASC I was born in the fire nation palace along with my twin sister! On the winter of 93 ASC, my brother called my sister an elephant-skunk because she's smelly and fat! My brother got bitten by a turtleduck when he was eleven. On 88 ASC, my sister used my goldfish, Gilbert to make sushi! I got so angry at her that I socked her right in face, but I still got into trouble. Can you believe her? I like pie. Do you like pie? I like all kinds of pie, save cherry. I've never tried cherry pie, but I have tried fig pie! Two words: Awe-some! 3.14=PI. On the spring of 89 ASC, I lost my first tooth because I got hit in the head by one of Daddy's tanks! Of course, it was nothing permanent because the driver saw me, but it hurt a lot! It hurt like the dickens, and it bled and bled and bled until finally some sensible person..."

"Enough!"

"But I thought you wanted to know everything." Sasha's eyes grew wide. She was only trying to obey orders.

"That's not what I meant, although I can tell you that cherry pie is very good, and I feel very sorry for your goldfish. Now, did you or did you not see the Avatar."

"Why should you care to know?"

"I have orders."

"Does Zuko know about this?"

"Does it matter?"

Sasha paused to think. She running out of sassy remarks, and rabbit holes to chase. The best thing to do was keep her mouth shut.

"Well, I'm waiting."

"Um...I don't remember."

"Perhaps this will help."

Sasha cringed at the phrase. She felt the presence of a razor, only inches away from her scalp. This was an old, yet simple tactic that girls easily gave into most of the time.

"I'm going to count to three, and if you're not talking sense by then, you kiss that hair goodbye. One..."

Sasha wanted to scream. Her hair was the pride of her existence. Most people said that she had inherited it from her father. The long, black locks were a piece of work to maintain, yet they served their purpose well. It would be a shame to have it gone. Sasha, not wanting all her work to go to vein, surrendered. "I saw the Avatar."

"Good. Did Prince Zuko get a hold of him?"

"Yes."

"Where is he now?"

"He escaped. I have no idea where he went."

"Thank you. You are dismissed."

Sasha was escorted back to the tent where her brother and uncle were. She quickly went over to Zuko, debating on whether or not to tell him about the interrogation. Were other crew members undergoing the same process? Zuko and Commander Zhao had been conversing.

"Nothing. We've found nothing. Just as you said, the Avatar probably died a long time ago. Come on, Uncle, Sasha. We're leaving." Zuko was ready to leave when the guards blocked his way with their spears.

"Commander, we've interrogated the whole crew. They confirmed that Price Zuko had the Avatar in custody, but let him escape."

It was another 'Oh Crud' moment for Sasha. If only they hadn't made the bonehead mistake of not binding the Avatar's feet as well as his hands, these complications wouldn't have occurred. Now, there would be some fierce competition. The Avatar was the only thing that could stand in between the Fire Nation and its victory, a major threat. The Firelord would pay a pretty hefty price for the guy's head, not to mention give an honorable title to match.

Heated words were exchanged between the Commander and Zuko. The argument increased when Zhao began attacking the Prince's background. "You're just a banished Prince with no home, no allies. You're own father doesn't want you. You're a failure and a disgrace to the Fire Nation. Your own father doesn't want you. You have scar to prove it."

Sasha couldn't help, but agree with a good portion of these premises. In her mind Zuko was a pathetic loser, trying to accomplish an impossible goal, and she had told Zuko many times. Did they really sound that abusive?

Zhao had gone too far and had hit the right buttons.

"Maybe you'd like one to match!" Zuko retorted. "An Agni Kai at sunset."

The last words were added rather spontaneously. An agni kai was a fire dual, usually done between two firebenders. They ranged from harmless sparring to bloodbaths. Depending on the rivalry, matches could get ugly.

"What was that for?" Sasha asked.

"To defeat him once and for all."

"No one asked you to do that." One thing Sasha hated about Zuko was that he never thought things through. Agni Kai with a firebending master? What the hey was he doing?

"Okay," Sasha consented. "Just don't get burned on the other side of your face. You'll look like you're going to a masquerade."

"Very, funny, Sasha."

...-...-...-...-_...

Sasha found herself admiring the orange sunset, tinted with faint shades of yellow. The clouds were flat, and near ground, as if it was going to rain any second. A sign of impending doom, Sasha thought, Zuko's impending doom. She was standing by her Uncle side, ready to watch the dual.

"Remember your basics, Prince Zuko. They are your greatest weapons." Uncle advised.

"I refuse to let him win." Zuko said, seeming to ignore the tip.

Sasha soon lost interest in the dual. The match began after the gong heard the flames roaring. Zuko didn't seem to stand a chance since Zhao was effortlessly blocking and dodging every attack sent his way until he finally countered, sending Zuko to the ground. He sent a fire ball, aimed directly to his opponent's face. A few seconds before contact, Zuko rolled out of the way, doing a few few 360 kicks to mess up Zhao's stance. Using a series of low fire blasts, Zuko forced Zhao to retreat. Sasha watched as he was prepared to delivery a final blow to attain his victory, but was disappointed when Zuko sent it past the general's head instead. "Take this as I warning, but I promise you, the next time you get in my way, I won't hold back."

Zuko turned and was prepared to leave. Zhao, unable to accept defeat, sent a jet of fire to Zuko's back which Uncle stopped with his bare hands. The dual was over. It had been said and done. "Enough. So this is how the great Commander Zhao faces defeat..Disgraceful. Even in his exile, my nephew is more honorable than you."

"I'm sad." Sasha said, they returned to the newly repaired ship.

"Why is that, Sasha?" Zuko replied.

"You should have burned that guy in the face, taken him down a few pegs. The idiot has a lot of pride."

"You don't say. Uncle, did you really mean what you said back there?"

"Of course," Uncle responded. "I told you gingseng tea is my favorite."

Sasha could have sworn she saw Zuko give a smile. Not a big one, but a little one, but it still counted.

End of Chapter

**Okay, I will upload more as soon as I can. ;) Remember, very few people know of Sasha's existence. (See Prologue) Peace! **


	5. Episode 4 of book 1

**Hello! Here's another chapter!**

Episode 4; Book 1

"You know, Kaleb, something bothers me very deeply." Sasha said.

"Is that so, Princess?" Kaleb responded.

"See that plant, Kaleb?"

"The General's moonberry bush? Yes, I see it."

"I saw a hidden camera in there the other day."

"Camera? Sasha, we don't have that kind of technology."

"Yes, I know that, but look around. There're cameras in the corners of walls, in between furniture...I even saw one in my own room, Kaleb. Do you think someone bugged the ship to spy on us?"

"I doubt it, Princess."

"Do you think we're on TV, and that people are watching us? Why else would there be so many cameras around?"

"I can see you're point, Princess, yet I highly doubt that what you're saying is true. Suppose that those cameras were taking footage to some studio in the real world and putting them on TV, how, in any way, would they find any of this entertaining? We're just normal people going about our way of life."

"Oh, I see Kaleb. Maybe the audience just watches it to see my awesomeness."

"Whatever you say, Princess."

"How the search for the Avatar going?"

"Not too well. He's been spotted in many locations, but we haven't been able to track him down. We think he's going somewhere, then he goes somewhere else. He's quite unpredictable. We have no idea where he is."

"That's going to be disappointing for Zuko. Hey, there's Uncle right now, going into Zuko's quarters to break the news!"

Sasha counted. "Four...Three...Two..."

"What?! Give me the map!"

"The Avatar has been sighted in many areas, but no one can track him down, Prince Zuko."

Zuko's eyes traced the markings made on the map. "How am I going to find him uncle? He is clearly a master of evasive maneuvering!"

"So I guess that means the ship is drifting about aimlessly." Sasha concluded.

"Actually, we are going to the fish market." Kaleb said. "Running a bit low on salmon."

"Oh, I see."

Meanwhile, Aang, Katara, and Sokka were getting the royal treatment on Kyoshi Island. Being friends with the Avatar had its advantages. They had just arrived. One little girl, eager to spread the news, told the fisherman. "Did you hear the news? That Avatar is on Kyoshi!" The Fisherman shouldered his catch, and told the merchant. The merchant told the cook who was fire nation. The cook prepared the fish and told Zuko who responded beautifully.

"The Avatar is on Kyoshi?!" He abruptly stood up, and walked away, abandoning his food. "Ready the Rhinos! He's not getting away from me this time!"

"Are you going to finish that?" Uncle asked while Sasha claimed Zuko's dessert (apple pie).

Zuko snatched up his fried salmon. "I was going to save it for later!" Then, he took the pie right out of Sasha's hands.

"Hey!" Sasha whined, for she liked pie very much.

Sasha decided to go down to the hull where they kept the rhinos. Most of the soldiers knew Sasha, so they didn't mind her presence. Some of the soldiers were busy strapping saddles, and reigns to the rhinos while others were taking a head count. Sasha noticed some crew members crowded around a certain stall.

"What's going on here?" She asked.

"Shall I describe it to you, or would you like me find you a box?" Caleb, Kaleb's cousin who had also been banished for some unknown reason, replied.

Sasha didn't laugh. She stood up on her tiptoes, and took a peek at what was inside. A baby rhino was sleeping beside its mother. It couldn't be. "But Zuko said all the rhinos were boys."

"Or so it seemed. It turns out that Juan is Juanita."

The rhino must have given birth in secret. The baby was no more than five feet long. It was probably a month old. Suddenly, an idea came to Sasha. "Caleb, do you plan on using it for anything?"

"No, not really. Rhino's take years to grow. We're planning to ship him off somewhere."

"Could I use it?" Sasha asked. "If I ride out on my own, neither you or Kaleb will have to share your Rhinos."

"I don't any harm in doing that. I'll get someone to prepare it, and it should be ready in an hour or so. Okay?"

"Thank you, Caleb."

The ship took a couple of hours to reach within eyesight of land. Sasha had been practicing her Rhinoback riding. Controlling a Rhino wasn't like controlling a ship or a tank. She could feel the creature breathing underneath her. She was responsible for two lives. Sasha nervously patted the rhino on the head. It was such a powerful creature even though it was just a baby. Kaleb had shown her how to steer, and how to make the rhino stop. Shift your body to the right to go right...to the left to go left, and give the reigns a tug to stop. Sasha had been on a full size rhino before but it was normally another person doing the steering. So far, she was having no trouble steering the rhino in a direction, but it was keeping it on a certain path that was the issue. The baby rhino got distracted by even the tiniest of details. I'm going to ask Caleb to put some blinders on the beast, Sasha considered. It would take a long time to train the rhino not to look to the left or to the right without blinders, so she resolved that it would be best if the rhino had blinders even though it would look a little silly.

The ship soon hit the golden shores of Kyoshi Island, and the rhinos were taken off board, Sasha and her rhino being the last. By instinct Juan Jr. (as he had been come to be called) followed the other rhinos.

"I want the Avatar alive." Zuko said, as they made their way to a nearby village."

By now, the firebenders had been spotted from afar, due the their distinct clothing.

"Girls, come quick! Firebenders have landed on our shores!" Leader Oyaji announced.

"I'm a..." Sokka began, but dismissed it with a swift 'whatever'. After all, he was wearing the girly uniforms of the Kyoshi warriors. Who wouldn't have thought he was a girl?

The rhinos arrived at the town, riders mounted.

"Come out, Avatar!" Zuko demanded. "You can't hide from me forever."

The whole town stood silent. Windows shut, doors locked...It was almost like nobody was home.

"Find him." Zuko barked.

The riders stridded right into the streets, keeping watchful eyes on each and every one of the houses. Sasha paused when she saw a green figure whiz by from somewhere. It seemed like a large grasshopper, but faster. What was it? Her question was soon answered when dozens of Kyoshi warriors assaulted the larger rhinos, skillfully dismounting the riders. One warrior was charging towards her.

Sasha pulled her arms back in fright. "Please, I'm not doing anything wrong." The warrior dropped her stance. Sasha was pathetic. Poor baby girl. Sasha speedily dismounted her rhino, used a fire kick to trip the warrior, and set fire to the opponent's pants—a trick she had learned from her sister.

Sasha swiftly remounted her rhino, but a stray movement of her arm caused the winkers to fall off, exposing the rhino to new perspective. Confused, the rhino ran off, leaving it's rider behind. Zuko's rhino (Juanita), rushed off after her baby, leaving Zuko alone to face the focused Kyoshi warriors+Sokka alone. He quickly fought off the warriors, and got back up on his feet. "Sorry, Avatar, but these little girls can't save you now."

"Hey!" Aang shouted. "Over here."

"Finally..." Zuko delivered a couple of fireballs to Aang. The Avatar blocked one blast, and avoided the other. Using two metal fans, Aang airbent Zuko into a nearby building. Remorsefully, he observed the damage being done. Everything, including the statue of Kyoshi, ad been burned in some way, shape, or form.

"Look what I've brought to this place." he said.

"Look, Aang, I know it may seem wrong to run, but I think that's the only way. Zuko will leave to follow us." Katara advised.

It wasn't long before the Gaang's sky bison was airborne.

"Back to the ship!" Zuko shouted, still recovering from the blow. "Don't lose sight of them!"

Sasha stared mournfully into the distance. Juan Jr. and Juanita had gone into the wild, never to be seen again. And she had been looking forward to keeping a pet. Oh well, she resolved, At least he's with his mother now. Take care, Juan. She turned to quickly join her brother.

**Okay, I don't know if you've seen Direct TV commercials, but I think I can write one from this episode, featuring the girl who told the fisherman that the Avatar was on Kyoshi.**

** When you have cable, you get bored. When you get bored, you want to say something. When you want to say something, you tell a fisherman that the Avatar is on your island. News spreads. When news spreads, it reaches the ears of a desperate hothead. When news reaches the ears of a desperate hothead, you're village gets burned. Don't let firebenders burn your village. Get Direct TV. Get rid of cable.**

** No offense to all you cable-lovers. Peace!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey, guys. Sorry for not updating today. Here's a super short chapter due the amount of times Zuko appeared in this episode. I skipped episode 5 because Zuko didn't show up on it, and I will be skipping the first part of the spirit world episode. I will do the second part though. **

Episode 6; Book 1

"Katara, I'd like to thank you for bringing my father back to me. I thought I'd never see him again." It was Haru, the earthbender, who spoke. His village was a major coal export. The Firelord had been using its product to fuel his ships for five years, controlling the small town, imprisoning its earthbenders, leaving it powerless to the troops of swarming fire nation soldiers he had placed there. These earthbenders, now free (thanks to the clever plans of the developing Team Avatar), were heading back home on stolen fire nation ships to reclaim the land that had been so promptly taken away from them. "I really wish that there was some way..."

Haru's words were cut short by a desperate cry from Katara. "My necklace! Where is it?"

Katara had noticed the objects disappearance when she had placed her hand on the where the pedant had been, and felt nothing. Did she drop it somewhere? She looked back at the abandoned prison rig. The ships were already sailing, and there would be no time to turn back to search. Bothered, Katara resolved to do her best to cope with the loss. It wouldn't be worth turning back for a trifle.

"Lack of Fire Nation personal, massive destruction, and traces of thick sky bison fur...The Avatar was here, yet he's still a few steps ahead of us. What to do?" Sasha reasoned, trailing after her brother.

Zuko stooped down to pick something up. It was a necklace made in a simple fashion: A blue lace with a circular pendant dangling from its center. The wavy, flowing artwork embedded on the pendent showed that it was a craft of the Water Tribe and none other. He instantly recognized it as the necklace as what waterbender girl owned. Another clue...Perhaps it could be resourceful. Having dealt with Sasha, he knew how much a girl treasures her jewelry. Each and every piece contained a value of some kind, some in expense, and others in history.

Sasha, having seen the shine on the necklace, grabbed the article and tied it around her own neck. Zuko already had a ponytail, and had proven himself a wimpy fighter. What would the readers think if they saw him with a necklace? How unmanly could you get? "For safekeeping..."

Zuko didn't seem to care, but if Sasha lost that lead, she would find herself in some hot water. Zuko picked up his sibling and carried her back to the ship for dinner—something he couldn't do with his other sister (without being mauled to death of course), but could still do with Sasha. Sasha put her fingers against the fine silver on the charm. "I don't see what that peasant finds so comforting in having this. It's so cheap and old."

"If it helps us find the Avatar, then its price and age won't matter. Just don't lose it."

"Okay."

**Sorry, if it's so short. Don't worry. There's more coming. Be sure to tell me what you think in your reviews. I'm still trying to steer clear of the Mary Sue stuff. ;) Peace! **


	7. The Winter Solstice part 2

**Hello again I am back with another Sasha chapter. Thank you for reviewing! **

It was a cold night. Sasha courteously knocked on the wooden door, then stepped aside when it creaked open, answered by the sleepy Selin Village leader, clearly awoken from a good night's rest.

"Trouble sleeping?" Zuko asked, noting the drowsy state of the man. He gave the person a violent push, sending him to the ground. "Seen the Avatar lately?"

"You're too late. He left a while back." was the response.

"Where did he go?" Zuko said, ready to deliver a second blow.

"To Cresent Island. He said something about contacting Avatar Roku. Now, please, just leave."

"Cresent Island? Isn't that place in the Fire Nation?" Sasha remounted the rhino with Zuko, as they began to head back to the ship. "Going there is like off limits... to you at least."

"We can still catch the Avatar if we sail quickly."

"That sounds pretty dangerous. If you cross borders and get caught, there's no telling what Daddy will do to you."

"It'll be worth it if we find the Avatar!."

It was four o' clock in the morning when Sasha reentered the ship. She went to bed, worried and anxious. Zuko had broken the law many a time in his search for the Avatar, but he'd never actually been held accountable, being a member of the most feared race in the Avatar world. But now, he was planning to return to the country that had cast him out so brutally. Most people in the fire nation saw Zuko as a pathetic failure with severe anger issues instead of a firebending lunatic to be acknowledged and feared. They would arrest him without hesitation, Sasha thought. All they needed was a reason.

Sasha awoke the next morning to find Zuko at his telescope, Uncle supervising, and the two Kalebs (Kaleb and Caleb) guarding at a distance. Normally, she would not be surprised. This was the normal for the crew, but there was a slight tinge of disapproval and warning in the air.

"Sailing into Fire Nation waters! Of all the foolish things you have done in your sixteen years of life, Prince Zuko, this is the most foolish!" Uncle chided.

"I have no choice, Uncle." Zuko replied.

"Have you completely forgotten that the Firelord banished you?!" Uncle scolded.

"Have you completely lost your mind?!" Sasha added.

"I'm chasing the Avatar. My father will understand why I am coming back home." Zuko replied.

"You give him too much credit. My brother is not the understanding type."

Zuko, seeming to ignore the wisdom, barked another order as soon as he saw the Avatar's bison soaring through the sky. "Helmsmen, full steam ahead!"

Sasha turned to Kaleb. "Why isn't he stopping? He knows how stupid this whole thing is, right?"

"You see, Sasha, with guys, particularly with ones in your family, are passionate about things they want and will stop at nothing to get it even if it means losing his sanity, money, dignity, and whatnot. The more we want something, the dumber we get. Do you understand, Princess?" Kaleb said.

"Men." Sasha groaned.

Sasha held her breath as a catapult was brought up on deck. It was a stink bomb launcher. Sasha's nostrils burned as her nose processed the unbearable stentch. It smelled even worse than the scent of a dead rat.

"Really, Prince Zuko, couldn't you attack the Avatar with something a little more fragrant?" Uncle complained.

Zuko, somehow oblivious to the smell, gave the order to launch. The bomb was lit, and aimed directly for the bison who avoided it at the last moment.

"We need to get out of Zuko's range before he shoots another hot stinker at us." Katara stated, as the ball passed.

"Can't you make Appa go any faster?" Sokka asked.

"I can." Aang replied. "But there's still one problem."

"A blockade." Zuko finished.

A swarm of fire navy ships were sailing horizontally.

"Technically, we are still in Earth Kingdom waters. Turn back now and you won't get arrested." Uncle said.

"It's a win-win!" Sasha reasoned. "The Avatar gets to contact Roku, and you won't be getting arrested, and Zhao gets to have fun at his blockade. Yay!"

"Shut up, Sasha." Zuko looked up into the sky, hoping the Avatar would turn, but he kept moving forward. "He's not stopping."

Uncle made one last attempt to reason with Zuko. "Do not follow the Avatar. If you are captured, there is nothing I can do."

Zuko shut his eyes, judging whether to follow his common sense or his apparent destiny. He chose destiny. "I'm sorry, Uncle. Run the blockade!"

"The Avatar and the banished prince—this must be my lucky day!" Commander Zhao observed.

"What are your orders, Commander Zhao?"

"Shoot the bison down."

"But there's a fire navy ship out there, one of our own. What is its hit?"

"So be it. It belongs to a traitor. Ignite! Launch!"

A volley of hot rocks, blazing in flames were sent out. Some of the stones came dangerously close to the ship, causing the seawater to flood deck, while others landed in the distance with a loud splash though one hit the ship's engine directly. "Prince Zuko, the engine has been damaged. We need to stop to make repairs!"

"Do not stop this ship." was the order.

Zuko was on a roll wasn't he? Nothing would be getting in his way today. This is crazy, Sasha thought.

A second volley was launched. This time the ship managed to sail through, not being touched. By now the bison had made it across the border into the Fire Nation. The ship was still sailing through Earth Kingdom waters. Ready to be blocked by two Fire Navy ships.

"We are running a collision course!" Uncle stated.

"We can make it!"

"Sure, if we travel at five thousand miles a second, we totally stand a chance." Sasha muttered, falling back to her sarcasm.

Surprisingly, the ship was not apprehended. Zhao let the vessel pass. Sasha grew suspicious. Zhao wasn't the considerate, unselfish type. He had some other motive for allowing Zuko to pass, but what was it? Zuko gripped the railing tightly. "What's he up too, Uncle? Why didn't Commander Zhao arrest me?"

"Because he wants to follow you. He knows that you will lead him to the prize you are both after—The Avatar." Uncle said.

"If Zhao wants to follow a trail of smoke, then I will let him."

It was close to sunset when a hopeful Zuko and concerned Sasha boarded a smaller barge.

"Uncle, keep the ship heading north. Zhao will follow it while I use it as a cover." he said, as the barge was being lowered down into the water.

"Why are you bringing me along for this one?" Sasha asked.

"I could use you for getting into small spaces should there be any, and you can serve as an excellent decoy."

"Understood, but should I take off this necklace? I have a feeling that that peasant girl will be missing her jewelry."

"No. I can't afford to lose it. You should have left it back on the ship."

"Are you sure you know of what your doing?"

"Positive."

The barge soon reached the island. It was a mile long trek to the temple.

"Where do we go now?" Sasha asked.

"If you were an Avatar who wanted to contact a past life, where would you go?" Zuko said.

"The sanctuary! Where the hey is that?"

"The top floor, I guess. Come on, Sasha, we have a lot of ground to cover."

After running down a series of hallways, passages, and finding a dead end every now and then, the two siblings found their way up to the sanctuary. Sasha instantly recognized the significant door that guarded the heart of the temple. It consisted of five, puzzle-like holes that could only be unlocked by firebenders. Sasha and Zuko hid behind the pillars when they heard footsteps. Sasha peeked from behind her pillar to see The Fire Sages—Guardians to the Avatar, or at least that was what it had been. After Sozin's attack on the Air Nomads, they became more like dignified servants to Firelord.

"Come quickly! The Avatar has entered the sanctuary." Shyu announced to the sages.

"How did he get in?" The Great Sage wondered.

"I don't know, but look at the starch marks, and look at that." Shyu pointed to a shadow.

Sasha's mind left the discussion when she noticed the bright orange and yellow clothing contrasting with another pillar not too far off. "Airhead at 12:00." She wasted no time in approaching the kid. "Hello, my name is Sasha. Do you remember me from the South Pole?"

Aang, suddenly distracted, turned. So this must be the child Zuko was keeping with him. Who was she, and how did she end up with such a detestable character? No!, Aang gut instincts screamed. Don't talk to her. Focus on the doors. She's Fire Nation! It's a trap! But on the other hand, it was just a little girl. What harm could she do? "Oh, hello again. Have you been having safe travels?"

"As safe as it gets up these waters." Sasha replied. She winked, sending a signal to Zuko. I've got him!Come when you are ready.

"It must be pretty hard to live with someone like Zuko. Why does he even have someone as nice as you to travel with him?"

"I'm a decoy."

"A what?"

"A decoy. I distract people, so they don't know what's coming to them until it's too late."

Just then Zuko came up from behind, and grabbed Aang arms. "We make a great team. Don't we?"

"mm-hm."

The Sages had resolved to open the doors. They were upset when they saw Momo in there instead of the Avatar himself. Quickly, Sokka, Katara, and Shyu restrained the other sages. Katara gave the okay. "Aang, now's your chance!"

But Aang was being dragged away by Price Zuko who had already set his claim. "The Avatar's coming with me."

The sages captured the traitor, Shyu, and chained the other two former captors to another pillar using the chains as rope. Aang, who couldn't stand seeing his friend's arrested at his expense, broke free of Zuko's hold, sending him tumbling down the staircase, and rushed off to enter the sanctuary. He still had a chance if he hurried. Despite the resistance put up by the sages, Aang sailed passed them, and slips through the doors a split second before they shut.

"He made it!" Katara smiled.

The sun had set in the horizon. The sages and Zuko, who was filling in for Shyu, made a futile attempt to re-open the doors. "Why won't it open? It's sealed shut!" Zuko said.

"It must be the light. Avatar Roku doesn't want us inside." The Great Sage explained.

Zuko shifted some of the blame to Shyu. "Why did you help the Avatar?"

"It was a sage's duty to help the Avatar. It is still a sage's duty. It will always be a sage's duty."

Shyu stopped speaking when he heard the mock applause of Commander Zhao. "What a wonderful and heart felt performance. I'm sure the Firelord will understand when you explain why you betrayed him."

He turned to Zuko. "Prince Zuko, a noble effort, but your little smoke scream trick didn't work. Two traitors in one day—the Firelord will be pleased."

Two Fire Nation soldiers arrested Zuko and Sasha.

"Hey! I didn't do anything wrong!" Sasha protested. "The Firelord never banished me. I came with Prince Zuko on my own accord."

Zhao's reason for the arrest was simple. "Oh, Sasha, I don't like you."

"You can't just arrest people because you don't like them!" Sasha objected, deeply hurt. How could anyone possibly not like her?

"I have a permit." Zhao countered. A soldier brought forth a frame with a certificate inside it: Arrest people I don't like.

"Is that signed by the Firelord?"

"It most certainly is."

Sasha frowned in despair. Where was this country headed? Since when did Daddy start granting such permits?

"You're too late, Zhao! The Avatar's already inside, and the doors are sealed." Zuko said, hoping to destroy the man's pride.

Zhao shrugged the matter off lightly. "No matter. Sooner or later, the Avatar will have to come out."

A line of soldiers were placed outside the doors, waiting for the Avatar to come out. A chain was used to tie Sasha and Zuko to a pillar, identical to how Katara, Sokka, and Shyu were being restrained.

"When the door opens, release all your firepower." was the direct order.

With a flash of bright blue light, the door opened, and firebenders attacked the figure behind the door with all force, thinking it was Aang. It was not Aang. It was Avatar Roku who stood. It wasn't a living Roku, but more of a ghost. The glowing eyes gave the spirit a look of power as it sent a huge wave of fire toward the soldiers, knocking them over. The heat of the fire melted the chains that held the captives. Seizing the opportunity, Zuko made a direct run for the great outdoors. Sasha hopped on his back to save herself the trouble of running.

They returned to the barge, and Sasha watched as the temple tipped over on its side like a domino, then vanished into a cloud of smoke. The sky bison was once again in the air. Zuko was carefully observing it through his telescope. It would be good as long as he had the Avatar in within his eyesight.

Meanwhile, Commander Zhao, was enraged. He had such a good chance of capturing Zuko and the Avatar on the same, but it had all gone to waste thanks to a past Avatar. "No Prince! No Avatar! Apparently, the only thing I do have is five traitors!" He was referring to the sages.

"But, sir, It was only Shyu who assisted the Avatar." The Great Sage stated.

"Save your stories for the Firelord. As far as I am concerned, you are all guilty!" Commander Zhao yelled, clearly too pissed of to think.

**And that's all for now. If you're wondering why no one from the Gaang noticed Sasha wearing the necklace, we'll say they were busy with other things. I will update as soon as I can. Peace!**


	8. Pirates!

**Hello! I'm finally writing about the pirate episode! So excited. ;) Enjoy!**

Episode 9; Book 1

Zuko and Sasha were busy sparring with Lieutenant Jee. Fire was being blasted back and forth. Sasha's blows were more powerful, yet shot from a lower level, making it easy to be blocked. Zuko's were faster and weaker. Somehow, the opponent always found a way to put it out.

Sasha found herself flying as the ship made an unexpected sharp turn. Luckily, she didn't fallen overboard, but had been able to grip the ship's edge. Zuko and Jee had been violently thrown against the ship's border instead.

"Some one's changing our course." Zuko stated, as Sasha struggled to climb back on deck.

"Who?" Sasha wondered.

Out of curious nature, Sasha followed her brother into the control room.

"What is the meaning of this mutiny?!" Zuko confronted the robotic helmsman. "No one told you to change course!"

"Actually, someone did." Uncle was seated at his Pai-sho table with a few other crew members. "I assure you it is a matter of utmost importance, Prince Zuko."

"Does it have something to do with the Avatar?" Zuko asked, clearly irritated by this sudden change of plans.

"Even more urgent. It seems that I've lost my lotus tile." Uncle replied.

"Lotus tile?"

Sasha, having bothered to learn the game of Pai-sho, knew that the lotus tile was a type of Pai-sho piece.

"Most people think of the lotus tile to be insignificant, but it is essential for the unusual, old strategy that I am doing."

"You changed our course for a stupid lotus tile?!"

"You see, you, like most people, underestimate it's value. Just give me ten minutes to check the market . Hopefully, they will have the lotus tile in stock, and I can get on with my life."

Fire and smoke vented through Zuko's nose and mouth, indicating his clear agitation. Sasha coughed, and dashed for the exit as the smoke fogged the room.

Uncle smiled calmly. "I'm lucky to have such an understanding nephew."

"Are you serious?" Sasha wanted to say. In truth, she couldn't tell whether or not the old man actually meant what he said, or if he was just being sarcastic. Zuko was many things, but understanding was not one of them.

The ship stopped at a port market, set on the border between sea and land.

Sasha scanned all the shops, set mostly in small stands with minute roofs above them.

"Do you want something?" Zuko groaned when he noticed Sasha's eyes fixed on one store. More money lost to satisfy the whims and fancies of a crazy teenager.

"Can I have one?" she asked, staring wistfully at the floppy-eared rabbits sitting in wired cages.

Sasha really wanted a pet. She hadn't taken care of one since Gilbert (the goldfish) had passed. Anything would do, so long as she could hold it.

"I don't think so." The rhinos were enough of a hassle to keep on the ship.

Uncle returned just then. "I've checked every shop on this pier, not a single lotus tile in the entire marketplace!"

Zuko stood with arms crossed impatiently. "It was good to know that this whole trip was a complete waste of time for EVERYONE!"

"Quite the contrary, I always say that the only thing better than finding something you are looking for is finding something you weren't looking for at a great bargain!"

A line of soldiers carried all the various trinkets uncle had bought, piled up in baskets. One item, carried separately in its own basket, interested Zuko. "You bought a Tsungi Horn?"

"It's for music night on the ship." Uncle explained. "Now, if only we had some woodwinds."

"You play the Tsungi horn?" Sasha asked. What had happened during the years she was locked in her room?

"Keep your mouth shut, and walk." Zuko replied, not wanting to expose his secret. He had started learning when he was ten. Naturally gifted, the teachers had said. Unfortunatly that was not so for firebending. He will still trying to master the basics at sixteen.

Uncle pointed to paticular ship with wide sails. The old man wasn't done shopping yet? "Oh, this looks promising."

Reluctantly, Sasha set foot on board the ship. The insides were more like that of a store than that of a ship, items stacked above each other in shelves with no apparent price tags. Sasha overheard a few words that would set the course for today's journey.

"We lost the Water Tribe girl, and the little bald monk she was traveling with."

Zuko ears perked up. "...little bald monk.". The reaction was almost too predictable, inevitable. Sasha knew that it was only a matter of time.

"This monk...Did he have an arrow on his head?"

The skinny Barker Oh (as Sasha came to know him) turned. "Yes. As a matter in fact, he did."

"I'm hunting him." Zuko stated.

"So are we. His little girlfriend of his stole a valuable waterbending scroll that belongs to us. We want it back." The Captain explained, eying Sasha's necklace. "Say, that's a fine piece of jewelry, child. Water tribe products are so hard to come by..."

"This isn't for sale." Sasha said, seeing what the pirate was getting at. She had a feeling that Zuko was going to form an unlikely alliance with these undesirables in order to capture the Avatar, but hoped against hope that maybe Zuko's common sense would kick in, and we would dismiss the mere idea of even having such an alliance. The odds were not in her favor.

The old metal barge was once again lowered into the murky waters. It was traveling aside the mahogany prate ship, gliding smoothly through the water.

"Shouldn't we stop to search the woods." Captain suggested gruffly.

"We don't need to stop." Zuko replied. "They stole a waterbending scroll, right?"

"Mm-hm."

"Then, they'll be on the water."

Sasha looked up towards the sky. It was sunset. The colors, orange, pink and yellow, danced through the clouds as the large golden rays disappeared. She looked the other pirates in disgust. Filthy creatures, she thought. Most of the pirates were lazy freaks, carrying dangerous weapons, always trying to find the easy way out. Sasha had an automatic dislike for Barker. She couldn't even tell if _it _was a he or a she. The kinds of people Zuko would meet to lead him to the Avatar. The sun soon set, and night fell.

Katara was still wide awake back at camp. She was lying down in her warm sleeping bag, lined with soft animal fur, thinking. Aang was able to master all the moves on that scroll so easily in one day. She was physically older and had had fourteen years to practice, so why couldn't she do the same? The scroll was still there, tucked into the team travel bag. Slowly, she crept out of bed, and reached into the bag. Her fingers closed around the parchment, and she pulled away. She tiptoed away, scroll in hand, only to be confronted by a cautious Momo, purring accusingly.

"Shh, Momo, go back to sleep." She said. She knew Momo couldn't speak, but he could still wake up Aang and Sokka. That would be unpleasant, for only hours ago she had confessed to her brother that she was not obsessed with the scroll, leading her to reluctantly gift the instructions to Aang to prove her point. And she wasn't going to tolerate an annoying "I told you so." from Sokka.

She quietly sneaked away from the camp, and made her way to small bank, not too far from the supply of water she needed for bending. She made many attempts to do a water whip to no avail. "Argh! Come on, water! Work with me here! Stupid scroll."

"Did you hear that?" Sasha asked.

Neither Zuko or the Captain gave an answer. Sasha recognized that voice, and words "Stupid scroll" served as a dead giveaway. Katara, she thought. The others shouldn't be too far away then.

The barge was docked on a nearby bank, not too far from where Katara was practicing. By now, Team Avatar knew what kind of threat Zuko was, and chances of Katara surrendering by her own will were one to a million. An ambush was essential.

Katara was soon approached by a pirate who tried to grab her. Using a string of water, she escaped the man's grasp, and made a run for it. Zuko stopped her, restricting her by grasping her wrists tightly. "I'll save you from the pirates."

If Zuko had been Pinocchio, his nose would have stretched all across Ba Sing Se. His true intentions were the exact opposite of what he had promised. He proceeded to tie Katara to a short, yet shout tree, a short mop of leaves crowning its top.

"Tell me where he is, and I won't hurt you or your brother." He demanded, referring to the Avatar.

"Go jump in the river!" Katara retorted.

Zuko fell silent for a few seconds. He considered trying a different tactic. Sasha took off her necklace, and placed it in the palm of the Prince. So she had had it all along. That Brat!, Katara thought.

"Try to understand, I need to capture him to restore something I've lost: My honor." Zuko moved closer towards the tree. "Perhaps in exchange, I could restore to you something you've lost." Then, he revealed the necklace to Katara.

"My mother's necklace. How dare you! How did you get that?"

"I didn't steel it if that's what you're wondering." Zuko informed, walking away. He dropped the necklace, landing the trinket in Sasha's hand.

"Until then," Sasha put on the necklace. "This will be in my keeping."

"Tell me where _**he**_ is."

"No!"

"Enough with this necklace garbage!" The Captain broke in. "You promised us scroll!"

The scroll Katara had been learning from was secured in Sasha's belt. Zuko took it into his hand, and threatened to burn it. "I wonder how much money this is worth..."

"Thirty, forty, maybe fifty gold pieces I suppose enough to buy twenty-five houses on Ember Island." Sasha answered, eager to put in her ten cents.

"A lot indeed." Zuko concluded, noticing the concerned facial expressions on the pirates. "Now you help me find what I want, and you will get this back, and everyone goes home happy. Understood? Search the woods for the boy, and meet back here."

"Fine." The Captain growled.

Sasha and Zuko retired to the boat to spend the night. Kaleb and a few other comrades would watch Katara for the remainder of the night.

Sasha unrolled the scroll to examine the parchment while lying down on a matress, set in the boat by Caleb. "I wonder why this would be worth so much. It's just a bunch of drawings on a page."

"Waterbending is a rare thing." Zuko explained. "The only waterbenders left are the ones in the North Pole after the Firelord removed all the ones in the South."

"He overlooked one." Sasha stated, after thinking for a moment. "That girl you tied up could waterbend."

"Go figure."

Sasha went to sleep, still anxious. The pirates were already combing the woods. All they had to do now was wait until morning. Hopefully, by then, they would have found the Avatar. If all went as planned, they would be homeward bound by the next noon.

**...**

**AND NOW WE STOP FOR A QUICK COMMERCIAL BREAK!**

**Jimmy: You know, Ronnie, folks switching to Geico sure are happy.**

**Ronnie: How happy, Jimmy?**

**Jimmy: I'd say as happy as Prince Zuko owning a GPS tracking device.**

**Ronnie: That's pretty happy.**

**Geico. In fifteen minutes, you can save 15% on car insurance. Get happy. Get Geico.**

**...**

The next morning, Sasha found herself standing opposite to the pirate crew. Zuko was beside her, scroll in hand, ready to make the exchange. They were surrounded by a few fire nation guards as always. The pirates had located the Avatar and his ally that morning. The victims had been seen camping, and were promptly abducted. The two captives stood there, bound by cords of rope.

"Nice work." Zuko commented, moving forward with the document. Now he would finally have the prize he had been pursuing for so long.

"Aang, this is all my fault." Katara admitted, guilty about the fuss she had caused.

"No, Katara, it isn't." Aang replied gently.

"Yeah, it kinda is." Uncle countered.

"Thank you scolding that scroll." Sasha added. "Or we would have never found you derps out!"

Katara's face turned a bright red. Had it not been for the ropes, she would have slapped that child in the face.

"Give me the boy." Zuko ordered.

"Give us the scroll." The Captain replied.

Then, Sokka dropped a bomshell when he revealed how unfair the trade was, exposing Aang's identity to the rouges. "Are you really going to hand over the Avatar for a stupid piece of parchment?"

"Don't listen to him!" Zuko snapped. "He's trying to turn us against each other!"

"Your friend is the Avatar?" Capatin was intrigued.

"Sure is." Sokka confirmed. "And I bet that he'll fetch a lot more on the black market than that fancy scroll."

"Shut your mouth, you Water Tribe peasant!" Zuko yelled.

Sasha smelt the distinct scent of trouble. The air reeked with it. This idiot was going to ruin everything!

"Ya, Sokka, you really should shut your mouth." Aang advised.

"Are you mocking my brother?" Sasha asked.

"Who wouldn't want to? He's pathetic." Sokka explained, leaving Zuko irate. Sasha crossed her arms. He turned to the pirates. "I'm just saying imagine how much the Firelord will pay for the Avatar. You guys would be set for life."

As Sasha feared, the Captain canceled the deal. "Keep the scroll. We can buy a hundred from the reward we 're going to get for the kid."

"You'll regret breaking a deal with me!" Zuko promised. He, Sasha, followed by a few soldiers released an enormous fire blast, sending the pirates flying of the ground. In return, Barker released a few smoke bombs, creating a foggy environment. Sasha couldn't see a predator within two feet. She listened for a familiar voice. Zuko? Uncle? Kaleb?

"Aang! Where are you?"

It was Sokka. She had some unfinished business to take care of. She followed the goofy voice to its owner, and kicked him in the shin (which was all you could do when you barely reach the person's knee). "My brother may be the most unattractive, selfish, pathetic, idiotic loser in the universe, but nobody mocks him to his face but ME!"

With that Sasha made a straightforward dash north, looking for an escape to this foggy prison. Wow, Sokka thought. She must have some deep, kind, affectionate feelings for her brother.

Sasha stumbled out of the smoke cloud, relieved to be seeing the open blue skies once again. She rolled out of the way when Zuko almost stepped on her face, and got back up on her feet. Zuko and Captain were having a battle, sword against fire. Uncle abruptly separated them. "Are you so busy fighting that you can't see that your own ship has set sail?"

"Uncle, we don't have time for your proverbs!" Zuko said.

It was no proverb. There pirate ship was sailing down the river like nobody's business. "Bleeding hog monkeys!"

Zuko laughed triumphantly as the Captain ran off, pursuing his ship. Sasha pinched herself. Did Zuko just laugh? I have been eating too much bacon, she reasoned. Just then, she saw Zuko's boat sailing with the pirates on board!

"Hey that's my boat!" Zuko cried.

"Maybe that should be a proverb." Uncle thought.

"Come on, Uncle! Sasha, run ahead!"

The boat was soon out of sight, but rivers only flow in one direction. Sasha stayed a few yards ahead. She heard a loud crash. Could have been the boat? Her worries came true when she looked down. There was the barge, smashed against jagged rocks at the bottom of the waterfall.

"My boat!" Zuko whined in despair, like a five year old who had just sunk his precious toy.

"Prince Zuko," Uncle said, catching his breath. "you are going to get a real kick out of this. The lotus tile was in my sleeve the whole time!"

Zuko, angered by the loss of his boat and waste of time, taking short breaths, snatched the lotus tile from the grinning Uncle, and threw it down to the waterfall. He turned to Sasha. "Let's go find the soldiers, and get back to the ship. The Avatar won't get far if we move quickly."

Kaleb was found clutching his upper left arm. He moved his hand away, revealing the presence of blood.

"What happened?" Sasha asked.

"Breaking News! Swords are sharp!"

Sasha laughed. "You don't say."

"Did you get the boat, Princess?"

"No. We lost it at the waterfall. We are going to have to walk all the way beck to the ship."

"I see." Kaleb said, getting up. The small group began their journey back to the ship.

"Where do you think** he'll** be going next?"

"I can't tell, but I have a feeling we will have a few more complications before things are set right."

"I guess so."

"Kaleb."

"Yes, Princess."

"Just how many more complications will occur before things _are_ set right?" Sasha wondered what Kaleb meant by 'set right'. Was it capturing the Avatar or reuniting the broken family Sasha was trying to run away from?

"I really can't tell, Sasha." was the blunt reply.

End of Chapter

**Sorry that took so long!**

**The next chapter will be the storm, coming out next Friday-Saturday. Here we will investigate Sasha's past. Is there anything you want to know about Sasha's past that interests you? Let me know! Your input always helps. Peace.**


	9. The Blue Spirit

**Hey, I am back with another chapter! Yay! Unfortunately, it's not The Storm as I hoped. My plot bunnies kinda froze! **

Episode 13; Book 1

"Zuko, quick, say I am the mackdaddy dragon of the NYC!"

"Sasha, that sounds idiotic, and makes no sense.."

Sasha nodded. "I was just curious. Do you love me?"

"Sasha, look, when I got banished and you requested to join me, I allowed you to do so out of pity, still thinking of you as the child you were. Over time, I have gotten to know you for the child you have become, and I must say...No, Sasha, I don't like you." Zuko concluded.

Sasha couldn't help but stare. That was the deepest thing Zuko had said in years.

"No reason to worry." Sasha smiled. "That feeling is mutual. But I still think you are an awesome brother."

"Go to your room." Zuko replied, annoyed by this small talk.

Sasha walked away slowly chanting. "You're not the boss of me." over and over again.

Zuko took a quick peek at the sky. The sun was in its late stages of going down. Night would soon fall, and it would be time to move. Now that word was out the Avatar was alive, many firebenders were out looking for him. They didn't have leads like Zuko did though, and they hadn't been tracking the Avatar's every move every since the first day he showed up on this TV show. They were betting on coincidence and luck to help find the Avatar. Luck and coincidence are good, but they are not what you need for tracking down a hundred and twelve year old airbender. Zuko wasn't too concerned about these happy-go-luckys. He was worried about Commander Zhao who was also bent on finding the Avatar. He had to scout out Zhao, and see what moves he was plotting in order to get an advantage. He had located Zhao and had a plan to slip in unseen that night.

Zuko climbed onto the roof of the Pohuai Stronghold, a fortress set there by the Fire Nation. He placed himself within hearing range, but out of sight, perfect for eavesdropping.

"Absolutely not! The Yuyan archers stay here. Your request is denied, Commander Zhao." Colonel Shinu spoke.

"Colonel Shinu, please reconsider. Their precision is legendary. The Yuyan archers can pin a fly to a tree from a hundred yards away without killing it." Zhao's voice hardened. "You're wasting their talents using them as mere security guards."

"I can do whatever I want with my archers, and they are mine. Whatever I say goes." Colonel Shinu stated.

"But my search for the Avatar..."

"Is nothing more than a vanity project. We are fighting a real war here, and I need every man I've got, _Commander._"

"But,"

"And that's final! I don't want to hear another word about it!"

A hawk screeched as it landed on Shinu's arm, bearing a message from the Firelord. This was how they managed long distance communication in the Fire Nation because nobody had thought of inventing the iphone.

"News from Firelord Ozai?" Zhao took the paper in his hand. "It appears that I've been promoted to Admiral...My request is now an order."

Zuko quietly left the scene. He had got what he had come for, and was not thrilled. Zhao's advantages were slowly building up. With this amount of power, he would have the Avatar in chains and locked away within a week. Not good.

The next morning...

"Hey, is something wrong?" Sasha asked Zuko. "You're not yourself today. Normally, you run around yelling at the crew, and giving people cold stares, but today you're kicking all the furniture and yelling at everyone and everything. You even scolded Kaleb for wearing a helmet! You know how sensitive he is when it come to his uniform. He's crying in the bathroom right now. He flushes the toilet to cover up the sounds of his deep sadness."

"That explains all the noise." Zuko replied.

"Are you doing something behind my back?" Sasha wondered, getting suspicious.

"No."

"Are you sneaking out at night without anyone seeing you?"

"No."

"Are you drinking abnormal amounts of Mtn. Dew?"

"No."

"Are you going to talk to Lieutenant Jee?"

"Yes. I'm going to check stats with him. We are still trying to find the Avatar."

"I see."

Sasha entered the small, cozy room. There was Uncle, playing pi shao with the same group of people who didn't stand a chance to his master's skills. Even Sasha couldn't beat him.

Lieutenant Jee's finger slid across the map. "We haven't been able to pick up the Avatar's trail since the storm, but if we continue heading northeast..."

The room suddenly went dark as a Navy ship blocked the warship's passage. The shade of metal, along with the size screamed that it was a vessel from the Fire Nation.

"What do they want?" Zuko thought aloud.

"Perhaps a sporting game of Pai-Shao." Uncle speculated.

Again, Sasha was unable to tell if the elder was being sarcastic or not. Maybe he was just joking. But who would joke around in such a serious criteria?

Three guards entered, as if they had every right in the world to be there. One carried a scroll.

"The search for the Avatar has been given prime importance. Any information, regarding his whereabouts should be reported to Admiral Zhao." He announced, displaying the contents of the scroll which contained basic tips on the Avatar's physical appearance. Estimated height, age, eye color, along with a description of the character's abilities. Many of which, Sasha had seen first hand.

"Zhao has been promoted?" Uncle observed. "Well, that's good for him."

"I've got nothing to report to Zhao. Now, get off my ship, and let us pass." Zuko ordered.

"Admiral Zhao is not allowing ships in or out of this area." The soldiers responded.

"OFF MY SHIP!"

The soldiers quietly exited, leaving Zuko alone to his thoughts. He changed into his firbending outfit, and went out on deck to practice. His movements were quick, uneasy, and fired with passionate vigor.

"Are you okay?" Uncle dared to ask, concerned. "It's been almost an hour, and you haven't given the men an order. Sasha is even bribing the helmsmen with m&ms as we speak. You'd better get in there."

"I don't care what they do!" Zuko replied, as Sasha walked on deck. She had been doused with m&ms. It turned out that the helmsman was severely allergic to chocolate, and offering m&ms to him was almost equal to offering poison. Sasha was slightly taken aback. She had never met some one who could resist the taste of an m&m.

"Don't give up hope yet." Uncle advised. "You can still find the Avatar before Zhao."

Zuko faced uncle, despaired. "How, Uncle? With Zhao's resources, it's just a matter of time before he captures the Avatar!"

He turned around. "My honor, My throne, My country—I'm about to lose them all."

Sasha put her hand to her chest. Her voice was worried, scared. "Uncle, I feel so weird right now! It's right here, and it makes me feel sad!"

"It's called empathy." Uncle explained. "You are able to understand Zuko's feelings, and can relate to him very well."

"I don't like empathy!"

Uncle was right. For once Sasha was able to understand the cause her brother's craziness. She realized how much the Avatar meant to him, and how everything that he loved depended on that. Before, she had only seen the Avatar's capture as a one way ticket home to her prison cell (bed room), and a sad end to her days at sea. But If commander Zhao captured the Avatar, it would take a hard toll on Zuko. He had to get back to the Fire Nation, and live that life as crown Prince, soon to be Firelord. It was his destiny, and he couldn't let his dratted sister take the throne.

Sasha did her best to ignore the empathy, and went inside to her quarters to pick the delectable colored candies out of her hair one by one. She wrote a small note to self on a papyrus scroll. Khan allergic. Do not bribe with m&m. Use cash.

Soon, the m&ms were out of Sasha's hair (literally), but she wasn't trouble free just yet. Another thing was soon tugging at her mind. What was Zuko up to? Normally his behavior wasn't this aggressive. He was angrier than usuaul. And he, like most short tempered people, needed to be set of by something, however small, to start acting up. Reason told Sasha that it was obviously the stress coming from all the competition, but she wasn't ready to dismiss the thought entirely. Knowing Zuko, he'd be working on some kind of secret plan to get the Avatar (before Zhao).

Sasha waited until night came. She, being a teenager, knew that if you needed to do something slightly questionable that an adult would never approve of in plain sight, you'd do it at night, in secret, in the dark, with no one watching. She had planted herself in an air vent blowing a steady flow of cool air into the narrow corridor. There were no girders to prevent Sasha from leaving her post when she desired. It was around ten o' clock when she saw a suspicious figure exit Zuko's room, and start silently walking out. She left her hiding spot and followed the being. As she got closer, she noticed that there was no ponytail to pull. There was only one way to gain the person's attention. She pulled her leg back, ready to kick.

"Sasha, I know that's you." Zuko's familiar voice rang out, confirming Sasha's suspicions. He probably heard the pitter-patter of feet "You might want to think twice before you try kicking me in the shin."

"Why are you wearing that mask?" Sasha asked.

"I need to cover my face." was the obvious answer.

"Why? Only criminals do that."

Zuko stopped. He was caught. Of course, he could just make a run for it, but knowing his sister, one scream would be enough to wake up the entire crew. That was the last thing he wanted. Unfortunately, he had brought no hush money, so that left one option: Lock the bratty adolescent in her room until dawn. That would work really well. The walls were made from thick blocks of metal, so no one would hear Sasha screaming no matter how hard she tried. He could give her some hush money later as compensation for her trouble.

"Wait," Sasha said, as she was abruptly picked up, slung across Zuko's shoulder. "Just tell me what you're doing! If it has to do with the Avatar, please tell me! I can help."

"How?" Zuko asked, still walking.

"By doing what I do best: distract and fool people."

"Okay, I think I could use you for something. Get on my back, and don't let go. I'm going to be moving very quickly, so if you fall, you fall."

Swiftly, Zuko jumped off the ship into the cold seawater. Sasha slowly adapted to the new enviroment. "So where are we going?" She asked, as Zuko cut through the deep waters.

"To the Pohuai stronghold. That's Admiral Zhao's current location." Zuko responded as they reached shore. "I believe that he has spotted the Avatar here, and is tracking him down. Why else would he block ships coming into this area."

"You think Zhao has the Avatar?" Sasha asked, drying off before remounting Zuko.

"Yes, there's a good chance that he does." Zuko replied, taking off once again, running at a steady pace. Though there was no evidence, Zuko sensed that Admiral Zhao already had the Avatar in custody. This was a small plot of deserted land. Finding one boy with the aid of an army couldn't be too hard. If Zhao had happened to capture the Avatar, it would be Zuko's job to get him back by whatever means necessary.

The two allies soon reached a road. Stealthily, Zuko grabbed the underside of a passing carriage that happened to be going to the Pohuai Stronghold as well. Sasha heard footsteps as the carriage neared the fortress.

"All clear." a soldier reported. Then, he proceeded to take a peek a the cart's underneath. "All clear."

It was on of those special moments for Sasha who was now seated inside a cargo cart. Her brother may have be an idiot when it can to planning and strategizing big plots, but when it came to thinking on his feet, he was an expert.

Zuko exited the carriage as soon as it entered the land where the fortress had been set. He softy sprinted to one of the fortress walls, an air vent was fixed into the thick metal, bringing in ventilation from the great outdoors. Here Sasha dismounted. Zuko detached the steel girders, and threw them on the ground.

"Find the Avatar, give a report on where he is, and a description of the potential resistance. Any questions?"

Sasha jumped up and down, pretending to be a toddler in the bloom of defiance, wonder, mixed with an alluring amount of curiosity. "Oo-oo! Why are you trying to capture the Avatar? I, mean, don't you have a life?"

Zuko groaned. "Sasha, get in the vent."

Sasha climbed into the windy tunnel, and began her journey. _Where would you keep a century old Avatar? _Sasha wondered. _Was the Avatar even here? _

"I heard that they finally captured the Avatar."

That sentence answered Sasha's question quite well. Even though the voice's owner was never identified, it proved to be a great help. Sasha paused to plan. _Okay, so they have the Avatar here in the stronghold, but the question now is where. The Avatar is powerful, so they'd keep him in the most secure place. That would be at the heart of the building which would be the center location. _Gusts of cold air blew in Sasha's face as she crawled through the thick passageways. She silently noted different turns and the significant rooms she passed to keep track of where she was. Not getting lost of utmost importance. After many twists and turns, she made it to the heart of the fortress where, without a doubt, the Avatar had been restrained. For a second, their eyes met. The little Fire Nation girl, Aang thought. How did she get here?

Sasha bounded back down the air vent the way she came, passing through the hard, gray walls.

"You were right. Zhao has captured the Avatar before you. They are holding him up there." Sasha panted, pointing to the high tower. "There are a few guard posted here and there, but they're just a bunch of idiots wearing helmets. You shouldn't have a problem getting past them."

"Nice work." Zuko said. "Now, go run into the woods. Wait for me at the forest entrance. I'll be out soon, hopefully with company."

Sasha nodded and bounded away from the fortress, undetected. She understood why Zuko wanted her to hide. She was not properly camouflaged, still wearing her jammies. She escaped through a small hole in the outer wall, small enough so that only she could crawl through. She made her way into the woods, and his behind a tall, steady tree, hugging its trunks. She had a good view of the stronghold from here.

"Any minute now..." She said, anxiously waiting. Zuko better not get caught taking the Avatar and arrested, or she would have no escort back to the ship.

About half an hour later, Sasha heard Admiral Zhao's familiar bark. "The Avatar's escaped! Close all the gates immediately!"

Zuko had swung into action. An alarm sounded shortly after Zhao's command. Swords clashed and fire swooshed. Sasha watched in horror as the fortress gate closed. Zuko was trapped inside. Now she'd be lost in the woods forever. Interestingly, the gates opened once more, and there was Zuko emerging from the gate, carefully walking backwards, prize in custody.

"Do you have a clear shot?" Admiral Zhao inquired to a Yuyan archer, back at the fortress.

There was no response. The archer narrowed down his aim, and fired. The arrow soared through the air, and hit Zuko on the forehead. Sasha put a hand over her mouth to choke down a terrified gasp. Her brother had just been killed by the precise shot of an arrow (or so she thought). The airbender quickly formed a wall of smoke, protecting him from the vigilant eyes of the Fire Nation military. His rescuer was sprawled on the ground, completely unconscious. The arrow had caused a part of the mask to slide off, and Aang noticed that legendary scar. It couldn't be, Aang thought. He bent over, daring to remove the mask. It really was Zuko! Aang was prepared to leave the scene when he stopped. His eyes filled with compassion. He couldn't just leave Zuko here in the hands of a ruthless gang of Fire Nation soldiers, Zhao being the worst; moreover, that little girl had to be somewhere in the woods waiting for him. By abandoning Zuko, he would be abandoning her as well. Besides, he could repay a favor with another favor by helping his enemy. He sighted a small figure in the nearby woods who had been keeping a sharp eye on the current events. He dashed over to her, carrying Zuko's unconscious form.

"Is he okay?" Sasha asked, checking for a pulse. It was beating normally. Fortunately, the arrow had just knocked Zuko out, sending him into a small trance.

The Avatar nodded. Together, they both sought refuge deep in the woods, and made a small bed of leaves before laying Zuko on it.

"Shouldn't you be getting back to your friends?" Sasha asked, wondering why the boy chose to stick around. Zuko didn't have the Avatar's best interest at heart and only wanted to capture him, so why stay in a place where nothing but trouble awaits?

"They can wait." Aang smiled. "I'll just stay here until Zuko wakes up, and keep you company. Then, I'll be on my way."

Aang was very kind. Too kind, it seemed, but it was nice to meet a unselfish person every once in a while.

Sasha nodded. She felt kinda guilty hanging out with the same person she had tricked into captivity only a few episodes ago.

"So," Aang began, trying to stir up a conversation because no one likes sitting in awkward silence for hours on end. "So are you Zuko's cousin or something?"

"I'm not sure if Zuko would approve of me speaking to you. Infact, I should be tying you up and throwing you in a ditch right now."

"Oh."

Sasha leaned over her brother's sleeping form. "Zuko, can I talk to the Avatar and let him go afterward?"

She turned back to Aang. "I didn't hear a no!" Sasha beamed.

"I don't think we've properly met." Aang stated, recalling the incident at Roku's temple. "I'm Aang."

"And I'm Sasha."

"Pretty name. Means defender., doesn't it?"

"Yeah. I guess when you have some one as stupid as my brother stuck in your life, you always have to be prepared for anything and everything."

"Zuko is your brother?"

"mm-hmm. We're blood relatives."

"How old are you?"

"Four. I'll be turning five this summer."

"No, you're way to smart to be four."

"If I told you my the truth, you'd never believe me."

Aang laughed. "I'll tell you how old I am if that'll push you out of you comfort zone."

"How old are you?"

"112."

"I thought so." Sasha admitted.

"You kicked one of my friends in the shin a while back for insulting your brother. What's up with that?" Aang said, changing topic.

"Simple. No one insults Zuko directly to the face but me."

"Why?"

"Because I know him. You see, most people who run into Zuko, like you and your friends, see him as a dangerous jerk with an uncontrollable fire. But I know better. Zuko is like an m&m—hard and strong on the outside but soft and sweet once you get past that tough shell. His heart has hardened over the years, but has not solidified all the way like Daddy's has. That tough exterior you are seeing is just a mask. He a really nice person on the inside...He just has a funny way of showing it though."

"Really? How?"

"A few days ago, my Uncle got captured by earthbenders, and Zuko went to save him, even though he had spotted your bison from afar." Sasha said, recalling all of which Kaleb had told her. "He cares about things, he's just not that open about it if you know what I mean."

"Yeah. I guess he wasn't always like this." Aang said. Even in deep sleep, Zuko looked agitated and conflicted. "What was Zuko like as a child?"

"Gentle...He wouldn't even kill a spider-fly. He'd catch it in a jar, name it, and set it free outside in the garden. He used to be happy, tolerate Azula's pranks, and look after me...We've come a long way from that. Everything kinda ran downhill after Mom left."

"I'm sorry. It must have been hard, having to put up with a family like yours"

"It wasn't really. I tried not to get involved in all the chaos."

"I see."

Sasha yawned. She lay down in the soft grass. "What were you like as a child before the war I mean?"

"Happy. I had friends from everywhere. I had one friend named Kuzon. We used to get in and out of so much trouble together. He was a reliable partner in crime..."

Sasha did her best to listen to Aang's account of events prior to the war, but soon sleep took over, and she closed her eyes.

That morning...

Zuko gave a moan, as he awoke. In front of him was a blurry vision of the Avatar. Sasha laid there asleep beside Aang.

"You know what the worst part about being born a hundred years ago is?" The child spoke, gently stroking Sasha's hair.

Zuko didn't know what the worst part of being born a hundred years ago was, and he didn't care either.

"I miss all the old friends I used to hang out with." Aang continued. "Before the war started, I used to always hang out with my friend, Kuzon. The two of us—we would get in and out of so much trouble together. He was one of the best friends that I had, and he was from the Fire Nation just like you and your little sister here. Do you think if we had known each other back then, we'd be friends?"

Zuko made no distinct reply. Instead, he abruptly got up, throwing a fire blast Aang's way, sending the Avatar on his way, hopping among the tall tree branches. _No! We will never be friends!_ It was then he realized that he had deliberately scared off his prize once again, when he had been so close to him. Argh, Get it together, Zuko!

He shook Sasha awake. "Come on, we're leaving."

"Did you catch him?" Sasha asked, rubbing her eyes, yawning.

"No."

"I guess we'd better go back to the ship before someone starts searching for us."

"Mm-hm."

"By the way, I've never seen you wear your hair down before. You should do it more often. It's almost as long as mine!"

"Get on my back, Sasha. We're leaving"

"Where have you been?" Uncle asked, as Zuko and Sasha boarded the ship. "You missed music night. Lieutenant Jee sang a stirring love song."

"Sounds disturbing." Sasha commented, unable to even picture such a thing ever occuring.

"I am going to bed." Zuko stated. "No disturbances."

with that being said, he went to his chamber, locked the door, so that Sasha couldn't bother him.

**Hello! I will try to update chapters at least once a week from here on out! Peace! **


	10. Gaang's veiw of Sasha

**Hello! I am here with another chapter! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. **

Aang finally returned to the ruin where he had left his ill friends, bundled up in sleeping bags. Exhausted, he placed a frozen frog in each of their mouths. "Here, guys, suck on these, they'll make you feel better."

"Hey, Aang. How was your trip? Did you make any new friends?" Sokka asked, sucking on his frog like a child sucks hard candy.

Aang collapsed on Appa's tail. The fluffy fur provided comfort equivalent to that of a King sized bed. Aang made no answer. Did Sasha count as a friend? He quietly recalled the conversation he had made with the girl, and wondered of her origin.

"Mmm—these are good." Sokka declared. The frog had a hard, clean, refreshing flavor, similar to what, we, in the real world, would call Mint. Just then, the frog thawed, returning to its original, slimy form. It wasn't long before Katara's frog did the exact same thing. She and her brother both fell into a fit of gagging and coughing, not from the illness (The frogs had cured that), but for the pure feeling of disgust they earned by sucking on frogs.

"What was that for?!" Sokka protested. "I have a wart on the back of my throat now thanks to you!"

"Sokka, don't go around blaming Aang for everything!" Katara scolded. She peeked into Sokka's mouth which he had opened wide to show her his wart. "There's nothing there."

"I can feel it!"

Katara turned to Aang. Why did Sokka have to be so aggravating? "So did you meet anybody new?"

"Yeah, I did." Aang replied, still relaxing on Appa's broad tail. "You know that little girl that travels with Zuko?"

The Shin-kicker? The necklace thief? Yeah, they knew Sasha. "What about her?"

"I helped her brother, and we had a little chat before she fell asleep last night. She and..."

"Wait!" Sokka interrupted. "How did you run into the Fire Nation?"

"Oh, right. I knida got captured by Admiral Zhao when I went to get those frogs for you."

"Aang, I'm so sorry." Katara cried, remorseful that she hadn't been there to support Aang when he needed it the most. That was probably what took him so long to get back from the herbalist's.

"How did you escape?" Sokka inquired.

"Funny story. Zuko came in, and rescued me, wearing a mask. We got out of the fortress when Zuko was knocked out by an arrow. That was when I found out it was really him. I was ready to go, but I couldn't leave there, unarmed, so I took him into the woods for shelter, and met Sasha."

"That's her name?"

"Yep. I promised to stay with her until her brother woke up."

"Sasha is Zuko's sister? I didn't even know that the Firelord had a third child."

"You've never heard of her?" Aang was puzzled.

"No. How old was she?"

"Four."

"Impossible."

"Well, at least that's what she told me, but I didn't believe her. She looks like a four year old, but she doesn't act like one."

Katara rose up to join Aang on the sky bison's tail. "Yeah, I've noticed that too. She's pretty streetsmart for a little kid.."

Sasha looked like a four year old child, yet she seemed to have more experience than that that could be gained with the first four years of a human life. To an average four year old, life is simple. You have people to take care of your basic needs, and are overwhelmed with wonder and curiosity. You are innocent, and can not yet differ bad ones from good ones. You can trust most anyone who appears friendly with an open heart and mind. This particular child, however, was different. She seemed aware of the devastating, ongoing war, happening around her. She knew how some races despised her people, and she was aware of Zuko's tender disposition. After all, she had called him stupid and seemed to know that there was more to this character than being a fire breathing monster. She also seemed to have tact when it came to dealing with the minor antagonists (Zhao).

"Why would Zuko keep a child on his ship anyway? I mean like that's not necessarily the best place to raise a child."

"Probably to get into small places, and stuff like that." Aang replied. It was Sasha who had found him through the vent. Then the thought occurred to him that Sasha could be kept on board as a prisoner, but he quickly brushed it off. If she had been **held** there against her will, she would have made a run for it as soon as that arrow made contact with Zuko's face. Moreover, what would Zuko gain by keeping her on board? Another mouth to feed, I suppose. Also, when he had spoken to her, she seemed like one who would _want _to stay by her elder brother's side. Her being kept as Zuko's prisoner was a stupid theory. He continued to question Sasha's purpose in traveling with Zuko. Surely, he was missing some vital information that would help make the puzzle pieces come together.

Aang dismissed his thoughts when Katara got up, and boarded Appa. "Anyway, we'd better leave. Zhao and Zuko could be on our trail any moment now, and it's dangerous for us to stay in one place for too long."

Quickly, he boarded the creature's head, taking the reigns. He glanced to see if Sokka was safely in the saddle, and took off.

**Okay, so Team Avatar knows something isn't quite right with Sasha, but they just can't put their finger on it. Some Important details are missing. Eventually they will find out about her condition, but that's a story in itself. ;)**

**Anyway, just to see where we are at as far as writing goes, I present to you a question: _If someone asked you to describe Sasha's character, how would you describe her? _  
**

**Anyway, thank you all for ****reviewing, and I'll be back soon (hopefully with a longer chapter)! Peace!**


	11. Author's Note

**Important Author's Note**

**Hello! Here I am with an important Author's note! I have decided to make some slight plot changes, concerning the story: The family was _informed_ of Sasha's condition when she was six, not four, and Ozai locked her up in her room when she was seven. This way I will be able incorporate Sasha in Mai and Ty Lee's memories with the coming of Book 2 (Yay!). Sasha will also have a stronger memory of her mother, and Zuko with have more flashbacks. Also, this gives time for Ursa to notice the abnormality in Sasha. Most cases of dwarfism are discovered when the younger siblings outgrow the patient. In this case, we have a twin. It also gives Ozai time to form prejudices against Sasha. Thank you. I just think that the story makes more sense this way. Note: She is still trapped in the body of a four year old.**

**Sincerely, **

**The Author **


	12. Assassination Attempt 1

**Hola! We are back! Lol!**

**And we are live in 5...4..3...2...1.**

Episode 18

Prologue

"He's heading north—the Northern Water Tribe." Zhao turned his back to the map. "The Avatar needs to master waterbending, and he's looking for a teacher."

"Then, what are we waiting for? Let's go get him." was a response.

"Patience, Captain Li." Admiral Zhao said. "This isn't just some little Earth village we can just march into. The Water Tribe is a great nation. There's a reason they've survived a hundred years of war. The frozen tundra is treacherous. The icy landscape itself is a fortress...We'll need a massive invasion force."

* * *

"For the last time, I am not playing the Tsungi horn." Zuko said quietly, upon hearing Uncle's steady footsteps.

"It's about our plans." Uncle explained. "There's a bit of a problem."

Admiral Zhao entered the room. "I'm taking your crew. I'm recruiting them for a little expedition to the North Pole."

"What!?" Zuko exclaimed, suddenly disturbed. "Uncle, is that true."

"I'm afraid so. He's taking everyone," Uncle stated, confirming Zuko's fear. "even the cook."

"I'm sorry you won't be there to watch me capture the Avatar, but I can't have you getting in my way again."

Zuko darted forward, willing to lash out, only to be restrained by Uncle. _Getting in my way?_ Admiral Zhao was the jerk who had been getting in _his_ way of capturing the Avatar all season. Zhao was the main source of all the nonsensical obstacles that had been preventing Zuko from achieving his goal, the one he had been focusing on for years altogether;and now, here Zhao was, accusing him of getting in the way. That man was arrogance defined.

Admiral Zhao felt his eyes wander up the to the two broadswords, hung over the doorway as a decoration. His eyes trembled as he had a moment of recognition. These swords were the same swords that the Blue Spirit had used to retrieve the Avatar just the other day...He quickly plugged the pieces together. The unidentified being was none other than our beloved Prince Zuko, he figured. Zuko's pupils shrank in horror. _He knows. _

"I didn't know you were skilled with broadswords, Prince Zuko." Zhao said, removing the object from the wall.

"I'm not." Zuko stated, lying as a defense. "They're antiques. Just decorative."

"Have you heard of the Blue Spirit, General Iroh?" Zhao asked.

"Just rumors. I don't think he's real."

"Oh, he's real alright." Zhao declared, handing the sword back to Iroh. "He's a criminal, and an enemy of the Fire Nation, but I have a feeling that _justice will catch up with him sooner or later_. General Iroh, the offer to join my mission still stands should you change your mind."

* * *

"I am very impressed." Admiral Zhao stated. "And I believe that you all are highly qualified for the mission that I have in mind."

He pushed a wooden chest across the table, landing it on the side of the Pirates whom he had called.

"That's some tasty gold." Barker declared, biting down on a piece.

The Pirate Captain, impressed by this reward, a box, filled to the brim with gold—consented. "What do need us to do?"

"I believe you are acquainted with Prince Zuko." Zhao began.

"Yes, we know him and his child."

"I want you to eliminate them. Wipe them off the face of the earth. Leave no trace of their existence."

"I understand your order, yet may I ask what benefit would you reap by having us kill a child?"

"That **child** is old enough to be drafted for the army." Zhao stated, recovering some medical records he had gotten from the Firelord. He slid the evidence across the table.

The Captain, curious to know why he had been assigned this odd task, bothered to read the first page of the document. It stated that Sasha was indeed at the prime age of four on the year 90 ASC. But that was ten years ago...

"This girl suffers from a rare medical disorder that prevents her from growing and ageing. You may see nothing but a mislead, innocent child, but I assure you, she is a threat that has the potential to ruin my plans. Do not underestimate her."

The Captain nodded, and left, crew following close behind him. There were no specific guidelines assigned to them, so that gave them the pleasure of choosing an elimination method. It would be a painful, humiliating one. They had taken a great dislike to Prince Zuko and Princess Sasha and would be happy to end their lives for a sum of money.

* * *

"I'm really going to miss you, Kaleb." Sasha said, sad to see her close friend leave. She was going to miss sharing secrets and chatting with him. He had been such a good friend, even though she had never seen the face, hiding behind skull-like face plate on the helmet.

"What about me?" Caleb said, bending over to Sasha's eye level.

"You too, Caleb." With that Sasha embraced the two cousins.

"If Zuko ever manages to capture the Avatar and we return home by some crazy turn of events, give me a call, and I'll show you around the palace."

"That would be great, Princess."

"Good luck." Uncle called, as the crew went on their way.

Sasha boarded the ship once again, thinking about how boring it would be to just travel with Uncle and Zuko without any of her old friends. She felt happy for Kaleb however. Fighting in the war as a soldier was Kaleb's dream, and he hadn't been doing much of that while working for Zuko. Now, he had been presented with an irresistible opportunity to help conquer the Northern Water Tribe and actually fight for his country.

Zuko was lying down in bed, unhappier than usual, arms crossed, eyebrows bent, giving his face a strong emo accent. _I hate the world._

"The crew wanted me to wish you safe travels." Uncle said, daring to enter Zuko's quarters while he was in this emotional state.

"Good riddance to those traitors." Zuko declared.

"It's a lovely night for a walk," Uncle went on, "Why don't you join me? It will clear your head."

There was no response.

Uncle frowned. Sasha had already declined the offer to go for a walk, so he'd be going out alone. He eyed his nephew with slight concern. Zuko was becoming more and more antisocial by the day as the stress from capturing the Avatar before anybody else did increased. "Or just stay in your room and sit in the dark. Whatever makes you happy."

The door was slammed shut, only to be reopened by Sasha. She decided to come in to see how Zuko was doing after losing his crew to their top rival. She didn't feel like going out for a walk with Uncle today although an instinct had nagged her to do so when Uncle made the offer, she had said no. _Go, _the instinct ordered. _Go out, and get as far away from this ship as you possibly can. _Sasha had chosen to ignore her senses for once. How could she go out for a walk at a time like this? She had just seen all her friends leave, and wondered if she would ever see them again sometime. They were the first people outside the family to accept Sasha as she was. She moved closer towards Zuko. His facial expression hadn't changed at all, as if he wasn't aware of her presence. After waving her hand over his face a couple of times, hoping to evoke some form of a reaction (do not try this at home), she decided that now was probably not a good time to bother him. He was in no mood to talk.

"I'll be in my room." She said, before leaving.

"It's quiet. Too quiet." Her instinct stated. "Something's not right. You should leave now."

"Why?" Sasha thought in response. Weren't all large ships quiet when there were no more than two people on board—so she thought. "I'm tired, and I want to sleep. I'll go later."

"Go now!" Instinct urged, pressing to the point that something was amiss.

Sasha choked down the feeling as she lay down in bed, a mattress on the floor. What was going on that was so urgent for her to leave? There was nothing dangerous on this ship. Her eyes closed, and she passed into the land of dreams, a stuffed squid protected within the curl of her arm. It was an old squid. Sasha had received it as a gift when she was three. Overtime, she had outgrown carrying the toy around everywhere, but she could never stop sleeping with it no matter how hard she tried.

Zuko remained in his room, sulking when he heard a noise. It sounded like someone locking a door. He sprang up. "Uncle, is that you?"

As Zuko left his quarters to investigate, one thought became clear. He and Sasha were not alone on the ship. He made his way to Sasha's room. She was curled up in bed, sleeping soundly. There was no way she could have made such a noise. Gently, he shook her awake. Sasha moaned, burying her face into the soft pillows. "Five more mintues." she mumbled.

Zuko proceeded to pick her up, and carry her. "Something's going on. I don't want you to be alone right now. It's not safe."

"Fine." Sasha said, and she dropped into a dose, her head nestled against Zuko's shoulder, still holding the stuffed squid.

Zuko silently scouted out the ship. His search soon brought him into the control room. There was nothing there. Everything had been left the way it was before. That's odd, Zuko thought. I could have sworn...His train of thought stopped short when his eyes identified an iguana parrot, watching him with close set beady eyes.

"What is it?" Sasha inquired when her brother suddenly stopped. She followed his gaze, and immediately recognized the reptile to be the Pirate Captain's pet. Zuko's eyes filled with horror as he connected the dots.

There was an explosion at the bottom of the ship. Speedily, Sasha escaped from Zuko's grasp, setting herself on the floor. Did an engine blow up? There were more explosions to follow, each one getting louder and louder as it neared their location.

Fire penetrated the room, Zuko cried out in shock and set up a fire shield, barely saving his life while Sasha jumped out of the window, taking a plunge into the sea just in the nick of time.

Sasha resurfaced the water, taking small gasps of breath. By now the ship was alight in flames. She took small, gentle strokes to shore, and climbed onto a rock placed on land. Uncle, having seen the explosion from afar was witnessing the scene from the docks. He spotted Sasha, and ran to hug her.

"I was so worried." He said. Sasha had survived miraculously, but where was Zuko?

Sasha's heart sank as she came to realize the inevitable truth. "He's gone, Uncle. Zuko's gone." She burst into tears, hugging her drenched squid even tighter. Despite making fun of him all the time, Sasha secretly admired Zuko and knew that deep down in her heart she would never be the same. Even if her brother was a complete jerk, she still loved him and looked up to him as her senior.

"Now, don't give up hope." Uncle instructed. "Your brother could have survived just like you did. He still may be out in the sea. Go find some Fire Nation personnel, and report the incident. I'll look for Zuko."

Sasha nodded before bounding off to the nearest Military camp.

* * *

Zhao poured his steaming tea into a golden cup. Seated on the other side of the table was none other than the Fire Nation's General Iroh. "I'm devastated to hear about Prince Zuko...Just devastated. However, I am glad that the child survived, escaping with only a few scratches."

"Yes, it is a very fortunate thing that she was on a different section of the ship when the explosion occurred." (For only the bombs had only been placed on the warship's mid section)

"It must be so difficult for some one so young to handle such traumatic news."

Uncle sighed. "The Firelord will not be pleased when he learns who was responsible."

"You know who was behind the attack?"

"Yes...Pirates! We had a run in with them a while back. They wanted revenge."

Zhao sipped his tea, smiling inwardly though he feigned silent grief. "So, have you reconsidered my offer?"

"Yes, I accept. It will be an honor to serve as your general."

The two men raised their glasses. "To the Fire Nation!"

"To Victory."

After the tea was over, Uncle stepped into the hallway, greeted by a soldier, dressed in the typical uniform attire. It was neither Kaleb nor Caleb.

"Our plan is working perfectly. Zhao doesn't suspect a thing."

The character removed his faceplate, revealing his true identity. "You didn't have to do this."

"No nephew of mine is going to stowaway on a ship without some back up." Uncle stated.

"Thank you, Uncle."

A door opened from a distance.

"Someone's coming." Uncle observed. "Stay hidden until we reach the North Pole, and the Avatar will be yours. Good luck."

Zuko slipped his face plate back into place. Maybe there was some hope after all.

**That's it for now, people. No, Sasha has not been informed that Zuko is hiding away on a ship. She still thinks he is dead.**

** Question of the week: If Sasha had actually been a real character in Avatar, which voice actress would best suit her? **

**Anyway, have a great week. Review and make me happy! Peace! **


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